Heart of Darkness
by Rhea Valente
Summary: In a nutshell, a new girl joins the Bladebreakers, and begins to affect a certain member of the team. I stink at summaries so you'll hav 2 read 4 yourself! KaiOC TyHil [RayMar MaxMariam] COMPLETED!
1. I Prologue

**Heart of Darkness**

**Umm. . . this is my first eva fanfic so sorry if its rubbishy, but if you are midly entertained by reading it, plz give it time and read into it a couple of chappies, okay? Thank you! Muchas gracias! **

**(By the way, I don't own beyblade or any of its characters, only this story and all my own characters, so don't sue, and don't steal, and we'll get along great!)**

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**Prologue:**

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Darkness. . . cold. . . silence

"You understand what your objective is?"

"Yes."

"You do realise failure is not an option, right?"

"Of course."

"Good. I'll expect you to report in 3 months."

"Yes, sir."

"I suggest you get going then."

Light filling the darkness. . . a wave of cold. . . more darkness. . .cold. . .silence.

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**Okay, bit short I know, but its only a prologue! No prizes for guessing who's talking. . . **

**Plz read and review! **


	2. Bored, bored, bored

**Heart of Darkness**

**Here's the first chapter of my first fanfic. Please R&R! Thank you!**

**Chappie 1:**

It was late afternoon, and the Bladebreakers were, as usual, training in the backyard of Tyson's dojo, or rather his grandpa's dojo. Tyson was spinning against Max. Kenny was typing furiously on his laptop while the others were watching the battle.

"C'mon Dragoon! Don't let up now! Keep attacking!" Tyson was yelling.

"Keep up the defence, Draciel!" Max yelled with equal fury.

"Calm down, guys, its only training!" Hilary called out to them.

"Yeah, I know, but I still have to win! Go Dragoon!" Tyson shouted even louder than before.

The bitchip on Tyson's blade glowed blue as his bit beast rose from it. Max followed suit as Draciel emerged from his blade, and the two creatures began to fight. The two beyblades below continued to battle with renewed effort, when an attack from Tyson's blade glanced off Max's, and went spinning out of control. After circling round itself wildly, it came to a rest in the dust at Tyson's feet.

"Aw, man!" Tyson moaned. "You distracted me, Hil!"

"Don't blame that on me, Tyson!" She argued back. "It was your own fault you lost control." She huffed, and crossed her arms in a typical 'Hilary pose.'

"It was no-one's fault. Lemme take a look at your blade, a sec, Tyson." Kenny asked, extending his hand.

"Here, Chief." Tyson passed his dusty Dragoon blade over to him, downcast.

"In the meantime, Ray, you're up against Max." The Chief told the neko-jin.

While the training session between the blonde haired and the raven-haired teens raged on, the Chief was busy cleaning each part of Tyson's beyblade. He handed it back to him once he was satisfied. "Here ya go. You'd be amazed what a good clean can do for your beyblade's performance!" He smiled.

"Cool! Thanks, Chief! You're great!" Tyson smiled as he grabbed his Dragoon back. "Now, who to test it against?" He looked around as Max and Ray's battle ended in a tie.

"Why don't you guys have a break for a while? You've been training all day!" Hilary suggested. "We could go to the river?"

"What? No way! I was getting' into it!" Tyson complained.

"Actually, going to the river might not be such a bad idea. . ." Kenny mused. "Maybe you could challenge some of the kids there, some of them are pretty good." He finished.

"Yeah! A break will do us good." Rat agreed.

"Well then?. . .Kai?" Max asked the team captain.

". . . sure, why not?" He nodded, and led the team out of the dojo towards the water.

The sound of beyblades attacking one another filled the air by the river when the team arrived. Tyson got stuck in straight away, by challenging 6 amateurs to a battle, which they gladly accepted. "Any of you guys wanna join me?" Tyson asked the others. "Max? Ray? Kai?" He asked.

"Knock yourself out, Tyson." Kai smirked.

"You guys don't know what you're missing!" Tyson laughed back. "Okay, you kids, ready? 3. . . 2. . . 1. . . Let it rip!"

The battle was over in a matter of seconds. "Is that the best you lot have? Come on! Rematch!" Tyson yelled as 3 more kids joined the fray.

"He's even worse here!" Hilary cried. "Maybe coming here was a bad idea. . ." she sighed. "I guess. . . but since there isn't another tournament scheduled, blading against these kids is all the practice they can get, Hilary." Kenny explained with a shrug.

"Anyone?" Tyson was asking random kids, even those without beyblades.

"Tyson, forget it. There's no-one left." Max sighed. "Besides, it's getting late anyway."

"Max is right." Ray agreed. "Maybe we should-"

"I'll challenge you." A voice interrupted Ray mid-sentence.


	3. The Challenge

Heart of Darkness 

**Thanx 2 all the people that reviewed! Keep 'em coming! (Pleeeeeeeeease!)**

**Here's Chappie 2! Enjoy!**

**Chappie 2:**

The girl who had challenged Tyson seemingly appeared out of thin air. She was the same age as Ray and Kai, 16, and she shared Kai's pale complexion. Her dark hair was just above waist length, and the very tips were red. She stared at Tyson with ice-blue eyes, and a slight smile was on her face.

"Well, Tyson?" Do you accept?" She asked, taking her beyblade out of her pocket.

"Woah! Look at that blade!" Max gasped. Her beyblade was white, except for her attack ring. It had 4 spokes, each extending about 2 inches from the blade itself. Her bitchip was blue, and the attack ring was light purple, and looked as if it had been made to take someone's hand off, rather than for beybattle. "Careful, Tyson. . ." Ray whispered.

Tyson fumbled for his own blade, loaded it up, and pointed his launcher towards the girl. "I accept!" He laughed, licking his lips. Kenny opened his laptop, and prepared to film the battle. The girl loaded her own beyblade into its launcher, and fed the ripcord through as Tyson began the countdown. "3. . . 2. . .1. . ."

"Let it rip!" They both called out as they launched their blades, which immediately began circling each other. The girl's beyblade was the exact speed Tyson's was, and deflected his attacks just as he deflected hers.

"They seem pretty equal. . ." Hilary said to Kenny.

"I'm not so sure. . . this girl seems to be. . . waiting. . ." Kai told her.

"Have you seen the style before, Kai?" Ray asked.

"Reminds me of something. . ." He muttered, more to himself than anyone else.

"I'll run a search and comparison of some of our old battles." Kenny said, typing furiously.

"You can hold your own, but can you handle _this_? Wave attack!" Tyson shouted, as his blade increased its speed and began to disappear.

"A simple illusion, Tyson." The girl sighed, as if disappointed. "Evade it." She commanded, as her beyblade easily dodged Tyson's attacks. "Counterattack." She ordered, and he blade launched into an attack of its own, which slowed Tyson's blade down to the speed it was before.

"Man, Chief, she's really good. . . any advice?" Tyson called back to Kenny.

"I'm not sure, Tyson. I've run a complete system search and nothing came up. You're on your own, I'm afraid." He sighed.

"Fine, I'll blade the way I always do. . . head-on attacks!" Tyson smirked, turning back to the girl. "Prepare yourself!"

"Bring it on, Tyson." She smiled back.

"Dragoon! Now!" Tyson yelled at his blade. It stopped where it was, and his bitchip started to glow bright blue.

"That's it! Attack it now!" The girl shouted. Her beyblade veered round and headed straight towards Tyson's blade. It slammed against it with so much power, his beyblade was thrown into the air and towards Tyson while it was still spinning. As it hurtled through the air, sideways, towards him, all 5 components of his beyblade came apart, and whistled past his head. They landed with a metallic thud on the ground behind him.

"Woah. . ." The team gasped, as they looked at Tyson's broken beyblade, or rather, the parts of it.

"And I win. Well played, Tyson." The girl smiled, extending her hand towards him in friendship. Tyson was so shocked he just stood there, staring at her. "Er. . . thanks. . ." He stammered awkwardly, blushing and embarrassed when he realised she was still standing there holding out her hand. He took it, earning himself a sour look from Hilary in the background.

"How did you do that?" He asked her.

"Split your beyblade? Simple trick. Have Kenny watch the match again, and you'll figure it out." She winked, noting that the battle had been filmed. Kenny looked up quickly. "How did you know my name?" He asked.

"What do you mean, how? You are the famous Bladebreakers, aren't you?" She laughed, as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Yes, we are the Bladebreakers. Who are _you_?" Hilary asked, immediately on the offensive.

"Sorry, I haven't introduced myself. My name is Rhea." She told them.

"And just what are you doing here, Rhea?" Hilary questioned, not impressed.

"Well. . . I came to. . . well I was wondering if. . . umm. . . " She stammered, all confidence gone.

"Just say it." Hilary snapped.

"Well. . . I was wondering if. . . I could. . .join the team. You know, be the 5th blader on the Bladebreakers?"

**Dun, dun, duuun! Okay, its not really a cliff-hanger, but I couldn't resist leaving it like that! Please r and r, it makes me feel so special, and. . . and. . . like my story is half decent. . . and. . .and. . . and. . .okay, I'll stop there before you leave.**


	4. 5th Blader?

**Heart of Darkness**

**Thanx 2 all the people that reviewed, I really mean that! I'll just get straight in with the next chapter. Enjoy!**

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**Chappie 3:**

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"We're not really looking for new bladers." Hilary told her.

"Er. . . at the moment. . ." Tyson muttered apologetically to her, scratching the back of his head.

"Will you at least give me a chance?" Rhea pleaded.

"Er. . . guys. . . a little help?" Tyson turned back to his teamates.

"No. Absolutely not, we've got enough people. This is already a large team." Hilary told them.

"She had some sweet moves, though. She could really help us out." Ray argued. "I'm sayin' yes. Who's with me?"

"Definitely! I wanna find out how she did that! She probably knows loads of other special attacks too!" Max agreed.

"I say yes, too. I have to have a rematch with her once I find out how she beat me!" Tyson nodded.

"It's true, she has a lot to offer us." Kenny explained, looking at her attack in slow motion on his laptop.

"Kai, you don't want another person on the team, do you?" Hilary turned to the captain in desperation.

"Rhea can join. I want to see some of her other moves as well." Kai confirmed.

"But. . . ." Hilary begged.

"Hil, chill out! Get to know her, I'm sure she'll be alright." Tyson told her.

". . . fine. She can be a Bladebreaker. . ." Hilary sighed, rolling her eyes and putting her hands on her hips.

Tyson turned back to Rhea. "Well, it's official, Rhea, you are the 5th blader on the Bladebreakers!" He smiled.

"Really! You're serious?" She gasped.

"100!"

"Oh thanks, you guys! You wont regret this!" She giggled.

"Well, welcome to the team, Rhea!" Max smiled.

"Thanks so much!" Rhea yelled, as she ran and gave each Bladebreaker a hug, including Kai, who came away looking slightly redder than usual.

"Hey, hey, getting' in there, eh, Kai?" Tyson winked and elbowed him in the ribs. "Now I know why you let her join!" He continued nudging him.

"Knock it off, Tyson." Kai snapped, instantly regaining his composure. "Think whatever you want, doesn't bother me."

"Sure, whatever, Kai!" He laughed, running off as Kai attempted to smack him round the head.

"Man, I'm hungry after that match," Tyson said, once he was clear of Kai's fist. "Lets head back to my dojo and get something to eat!" He sighed as his stomach rumbled. The whole team sweatdropped.

"So, ma main man tells me you're the new team member, huh?" Tyson's Grandpa greeted Rhea.

"That's right. . . a pleasure to meet you, sir." Rhea bowed her head slightly.

"Hehehe. . . polite as well as cute, you'll fit in fine here, girl!" He laughed, as he served up plates of food. "I bet you like her, right Hilary? Another girl to talk to? I know sometimes you want a break from all the guys, right?" Grandpa addressed the brunette.

"Yeah. . . of course. . ." Hilary forced a smile through gritted teeth.

"I can already tell, you're gonna be great pals!" The old man laughed, oblivious to Hilary's discomfort, as he went back into the kitchen for more food, because Tyson had already demolished most of it.

"Rhea, whereabouts do you come from?" Ray asked her.

"I'm not exactly sure. . ." She answered.

"What do you mean?" Max asked.

"Ever since I was a little kid. . . all I can remember is travelling from place to place. . . never staying anywhere for too long." Rhea explained.

"Huh? That's weird. How come you keep moving?" Tyson asked through a mouthful of pasta.

". . . I don't have any family. . . not that I can remember anyway. . . so I don't have a home." She admitted.

"Well you'll always have a home here with us, Rhea!" Grandpa smiled when he returned from the kitchen, loaded with plates. "Oh, er. . . little dude?" He whispered to Tyson.

"Yeah?" Tyson spluttered, coughing up small pieces of pasta.

"Ya might wanna slow down a bit. . . ya don't wanna scare off the new girl, do ya?"

Tyson gulped down his pasta and apologized, before burping. It shook the table, and everyone sweatdropped and laughed.

It was at that point Rhea yawned. "Well, I'll be off now. . . I'll meet you guys here for training in the morning, okay?" She said, standing up and stretching out her arms.

"What do ya mean, go?" Grandpa asked.

"To book in at a hotel, of course." She answered.

"Rhea, this dojo has enough room to accommodate an army of Tyson's!" He laughed.

"Huh?" Rhea asked, confused.

"You can stay here with us!" Grandpa smiled.

"No. . . it's okay, really, I don't want to cause you any trouble." She said, making for the door.

"Hey, Hilary, why don't you show Rhea up to your room, there's enough space there, right?" He asked.

"Yeah. . . Rhea, come on. I'll show you." Hilary said to her, more friendly than before, slightly touched by her 'no family' story.

Once they were gone, and Grandpa had gone back into the kitchen, Ray turned to Kai. "Kai, you haven't said anything all evening. You bothered about Rhea?" He asked, "you think we made a mistake, allowing her on the team?"

"I wont be sure until we meet in the beystadium." Kai said simply.

"Well, tomorrow I can analyse the data recorded from Tyson's match with Rhea. Then we'll know what she did and how. If she has a few tricks to show us, tomorrow's training session should prove interesting." Kenny said.

"Don't forget, she is new. . . we should go easy on her, right?" Max asked.

"Max, we're a championship team. If she joins us, she should be able to keep up from day one." Kai said in a tone which ended the conversation.

Hilary opened the sliding doors and lead Rhea into the room. She switched on the lamp on the cabinet. "I guess this'll be our room. The boy's rooms are down the hall on the right, and the bathroom is on the left. There's only one, so you'll have to be up early to beat them to it!" Hilary added with a laugh.

"It's nice. . ." Rhea smiled, amazed at the size of the building.

"Yeah, it is. Oh, to get to the backyard, just go back to the room where we were eating, and there's a door leading out. . . if you ever want to get an early start." She explained.

"Umm. . . Hilary? I just want to say. . .thanks for letting me be on the team. . . Beyblading is the only thing I was ever any good at, and to be accepted on a team like this one is the best thing that's ever happened to me." She admitted. "So . . . thanks."

This gesture of openness and friendship was not what Hilary had been expecting. "You're welcome. . ." Hilary muttered apologetically, completely taken back. "Say. . . since you're new around here, why don't I give you a tour of the town tomorrow morning, and in the afternoon you can show those boys what you're made of!" Hilary asked, eager to seem as friendly, and redeem herself for her past coldness and suspicions.

"Okay, I'll feel more confident if I know my way about," Rhea grinned.

"Then it's settled. I'll go back and tell the guys." She ran back out of the room again.

Rhea got up and closed the sliding door after her, then closed the curtains. She sat on one of the beds, and made sure no one was around. Once satisfied of this, she took out a small cell phone from her other pocket, dialled a number, and held it to her ear. After a minute or two, it was answered.

"Yes?"

"Phase 1 complete."

"Excellent, faster than I had expected."

"Thank you, sir."

"You know what to do next." The line went dead.

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**Well, what do you think of _that_? Hehehe, the prologue make a little more sense now? If not, you'll soon find out! Keep reviewing, please! Ta!**


	5. Kraken

Heart of Darkness 

Wow, 2 updates in 1 day, this is my typing skills working overtime! Hopefully from this point on, this fanfic will get more interesting. . . . (hopefully!)

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**Chappie 4**

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"It's gone 2 o'clock! Where are they?" Tyson huffed as he battled Kai in training the next day. A quick hit from Kai's Dranzer blade knocked the reassembled Dragoon blade back to Tyson's feet. "Your mind is elsewhere, that's why you lost, Tyson." Kai snarled at him once he realised he had lost. "Rhea will get here when she gets here. For now, you need to improve. Pick up your blade and lets go again." Kai told him.

"Alright, calm down." Tyson sighed as he picked up his beyblade, loaded it and launched it to where Dranzer was still spinning.

Tyson's Dragoon blade headed towards Dranzer in an attack, when Rhea's blade shot towards them and attacked both beyblades, sending each back to their owners.

"It's about time you showed up, I want that rematch!" Tyson snorted, miffed that he had just lost again to her.

"Sorry, guys, but I wanted to give Kenny enough time to figure out my little trick." She explained. "Did you manage it?" She asked the Chief.

"Yes, a clever move." He sighed.

"Huh? You figured it out? Why didn't you tell me?" Tyson moaned, all thoughts of a rematch gone. "Because it's so simple it was hardly worth me telling you. Basically, her beyblade chose the right moment to attack; when yours was at its weakest defensively. There was a brief moment just before Dragoon emerges. It's the same with any beyblade with a bit beast. There's a 2 or 3 second window of opportunity to attack, as all the beyblade's power is placed into allowing the bit beast to emerge, leaving the beyblade itself practically defenceless." The Chief explained. "Rhea's attack was quite powerful, but nothing you couldn't handle, Tyson. It was simply emphasized because of you beyblade's weakness, and so, your blade was split. Simple." He finished with a shrug.

"Yup. A trick I learned whilst I was still a rookie blader." Rhea smiled, as she and Hilary joined the others. "So Rhea, you have a bit beast, then?" Max asked her.

"Uh-huh. It's a bit beast with the element of ice. You've probably heard of it in mythology and legends. It's called 'Kraken.'" She told the group.

"Here we go. . . the water demon. . ." Kenny said, reading off a web page on his laptop.

"But I thought you just said it's element was ice?" Ray asked, confused.

"It has both ice and water elemental properties. I harnessed the ice and ditched the water properties, making it an ice elemental bit beast." Rhea explained.

"Cool, lets see what it can do in battle, then!" Ray challenged.

"Sure, Ray. Lets go." Rhea agreed.

"What about my rematch?" Tyson moaned, suddenly remembering.

"You'll get your chance after me!" Ray laughed.

The two beybladers moved into the main area of Tyson's backyard, while the others observed from the wooden pathway at the back.

"Ready?" She asked.

"As I'll ever be." He retorted.

"3. . . 2. . . 1. . ." They began together, "Let it rip!"

Both bladers launched at the same time, and Rhea went instantly on the offensive, hoping to surprise Ray. It didn't work. Although her attacks were fast and powerful, Ray's Driger blade was far faster. It dodged and evaded then circled back to counter her barrage of attacks.

"Well, Rhea? No more of your fancy moves?" He teased.

". . . now, Kraken!" Rhea commanded. Her beyblade's bitchip glowed bright blue, slightly lighter than Tyson's Dragoon blade, though. A huge silvery-blue dragon rose from the beyblade, unfurled its wings and roared. The noise shook the entire dojo, and those that were standing up nearly fell over.

"W. . . what power!" Ray gasped, as he stood, mesmerised by the size and grace of it.

His trance didn't last longer than 2 or 3 seconds. "Do it, Driger!" He ordered. Ray's own bitchip glowed green as the beautiful Whit Tiger emerged, snarling. It's sleekness and speed matched only by it's strength. 

The two bit beasts fought viciously, clawing and biting at each other, with neither seeming to dominate. "Gatling Claw!" Ray yelled. His beyblade's speed increased to such a level, it seemed as if there were 5 beyblades attacking Rhea's. The attack was relentless, and forced Rhea's blade back towards her. "Hold off the attack, Kraken!" She fought back.

Kraken used its tail to knock back the tiger, who was momentarily stunned. "Now attack!" She called out. The dragon flew towards the tiger, claws drawn, but Driger was too fast. The bit beast leapt out of the was, as Rhea's beyblade missed Ray's below. "Not quite fast enough, Rhea!" Ray smiled, even though he knew that her attack had been very close.

"Fine. . ." Rhea whispered, gathering her strength, as Driger leapt towards Kraken in yet another attack. "Silent White." She ordered.

Kraken arched its back, opened its wings out, and faced the oncoming tiger. As the dragon roared, the spikes that had been lying flat against it's back began to stand erect, starting from its tail, and moving towards its head.

As the last spike 'opened,' Kraken unleashed a wave of cold air aimed at Driger, and several huge icicles shot up from the ground in a line moving towards Driger almost instantly. The huge icicles, several metres tall, knocked Ray's Driger blade back, away from Rhea's beyblade. "What an attack. . ." He whispered. "Driger, avoid the ice and attack!" He ordered, as his beyblade went back on the offensive. "Final Attack!" Ray commanded. His blade gathered speed and shot towards Rhea's, leaving no time for her to avoid it, or counterattack. His attack caught her off guard, as she hadn't expected Ray to regroup so quickly.

"Kraken, try to defend!" She called out, knowing it was too late. Ray's 'final attack' slammed straight into her beyblade, as above, the tiger once again locked claws with the dragon. His attack was powerful, and simply came too quickly for Rhea to defend. Kraken returned to it's beyblade in defeat, as Ray knocked it back to Rhea. When the dust settled, only the shattered remains of the icicle attack, 'Silent White,' and Ray's Driger blade was left.

"Phew! I'm glad that's over!" Ray wiped his forehead of sweat with his arm. "What a battle, it was pretty intense!" He smiled. "You're pretty good, you almost had me!"

"Hehe. . . yeah. . . but I suppose I still have work to do, right?" She laughed at her defeat.

"Too right you do." Kai stepped forward. "That was pathetic." He told her.

"W. . what?" She stammered, unable to believe what she was hearing.

"Ray could have finished that battle anytime he wanted to." Kai said.

"Kai! Cut her some slack! That was a close battle and you know it!" Tyson argued.

"I thought when she beat you, Tyson, she had some major powers. But is seems, after this, I was wrong." Kai said.

"Hey!" Hilary stepped up. After their tour in the morning, Hilary had decided that Rhea was a nice person after all, and her first judgement of her was wrong. She decided to stand up for Rhea with the rest of the team. "I may not be a beyblader, but I know a close battle when I see one, and I've never seen a tighter match!" She shouted at Kai.

"Hilary is right, Kai. She is one powerful blader." Ray agreed, looking at his beyblade, which was slightly damaged.

"You of all people should see that." Max agreed.

"In that battle, I saw 5 openings when Ray could have finished you off, Rhea. But he didn't, because he wanted to see your attacks." Kai told Rhea, ignoring his teamates.

"Kai, if Ray could have finished me off, he would have." Rhea defended. "If you're still sure, how can I prove to you I'm as good as I say I am?" She asked.

"If you beat me." Kai said, loading his blade and pointing it at her. "If you lose. . . you're off the team."

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**What do you think of that one, now? Please review and lemme know! Ta!**

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	6. Rhea's Attacks

Heart of Darkness

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**Chappie 5**

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**Its at this point I should probably explain Rhea's attacks, or, Kraken's attacks. Firstly though, I want to say that I wanted to take a reasonably well-known mythological creature, like Kraken, and turn it into a bit beast, I know I didn't think of one from scratch, but I had a mental block, so I simply did a twist on an existing creature, sorry!**

**Anyway, Rhea has all the usual standard attacks, evades, counterattacks, final attacks and so on. But she has 3 special attacks, 2 are offensive and 1 is defensive.**

**Her first offensive attack is 'Silent White,' which makes around 6 7 meter high icicles shoot up from the ground, which knocks an opponent's beyblade back. (Great for getting out of tight spots.)**

**Then there is her more powerful attack, 'Heaven's Cataract.' Kraken creates a huge blizzard which extends in all directions, freezing everything, including the ground and the opponent's beyblade. (Kind of like Tala's Novae Rog attack in G-Rev, except the blade isn't 'trapped' in a block of ice, it simply freezes where it is.)**

**Her defensive move is called 'White Wind.' This is where Kraken flies up towards the sky, until it is 'floating' upright, and then freezes itself, almost so it is encased in ice. Below, her beyblade has a spherical ice shield which blocks out all but the most powerful attacks. This only lasts for a limited time, though, 1 minute at the very most.**

**Yes, I know, I've taken some of the FFX-2 attack names, but I really can't think of any myself, and those are so cool sounding. So please, don't sue or . . . umm. . . report me for copyright because I'm admitting that the attack names are from FFX-2, and are not my property, only the actual attacks themselves (if that makes sense).**

**Okay, I'm glad I got that sorted. Oh yes, one more thing. This fanfic takes place just before G-Rev, so all the characters wear the G-Rev clothes, and have the G-Rev beyblades and attacks, but none of the new characters are there yet. So if you're expecting to hear from Daichi or Rik or Brooklyn or any of the others, I'm sorry, but they wont appear here.**

**Wow, this was only supposed to be a quick author's note, but as it's so long I may as well keep it as it's own little 'extra' chapter. So if you were wondering what Rhea's attacks were, this should clear up any thoughts. **

**Okay, thanks for being so patient, keep reviewing, and enjoy the rest of the fanfic!**

**Muchas Gracias! **


	7. Kai vs Rhea

Heart of Darkness 

**Thanks, as usual, for all your reviews! I'll not delay this any further, enjoy!**

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**Chappie 6**

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"Kai, you can't possibly expect her to beybattle you _and_ win after such a tough match against Ray!" Tyson asked the team captain.

"Yes I can, and I have, and I do expect her to win. That is of course, if she accepts the challenge." Kai said, his launcher still pointed towards Rhea.

"Of course I accept. . . but can't I at least have a breather?" She asked.

"No." He said simply. "3. . . 2. . ."

"Wait, lemme load!" She shouted, fumbling with the ripcord.

". . . 1. . . let it. . .Rip!" Kai launched, just as Rhea managed to launch within his countdown.

Kai's Dranzer wasted no time circling the grass or gathering it's strength, his beyblade shot straight towards Kraken and had slammed into it nanoseconds after her beyblade had landed. "Dranzer, attack!" He yelled.

"Try to evade it, Kraken!" She called. Her blade narrowly escaped being disintegrated by Kai's attacks, and had no time whatsoever to regroup. "Try and stay away!" She called again, as her blade span away from Kai's Dranzer. "Hehe. . . think you can run away from me, do you?" Kai laughed. "Don't let her escape, Dranzer!"

The blue beyblade followed the white one like glue, Kai had anticipated every twist, turn and dodge, and she could not get away. "Dranzer, come out and finish her off!" Kai ordered. His beyblade slowed down enough for her to get some distance, and in that time, Rhea ordered Kraken out, knowing she wouldn't get another chance to do so during the match.

The phoenix and the dragon continued to chase one another, until Kai became bored and irritated by this 'cat and mouse' style of play. "That's enough, Rhea. I challenged you to a beyblade match, not tag. Blazing Gig!" He ordered. The phoenix opened it's wings and sent blazing feathers towards Rhea's blade. "White Wind, Kraken! Now!"

Her beyblade was soon hidden within an orb of solid ice, as her dragon bit beast froze. Rhea paused, panting with the effort of keeping up with this match. Although Ray had a faster beyblade, and his attacks were based more on speed and accuracy, Kai wasn't far off his mark, and the weight of the battle was taking it's toll on Rhea.

"She's getting flattened out there! Kai, stop it! This is pointless! Just what are you tryin' to prove?" Tyson asked.

"Be quiet Tyson. Dranzer, break through her ice shield! Blazing Gig Tempest!" Kai yelled. As the fiery feathers began penetrating Kraken's ice, Rhea was ready. "Kraken, prepare yourself. . ." She whispered, just loud enough so Kai could hear.

"Keep attacking, Dranzer!" Kai ordered, his voice tinged with urgency.

Max, Ray and Tyson loaded their beyblades, and prepared to enter the fray in order to defend Rhea. "Hold on Rhea!" Max called out to her as he fed the ripcord through.

"No. . . it's okay, I know. . . what I'm. . . doing. . ." She called back weakly.

"You're getting annihilated out there!" Ray argued.

"Kai wanted me. . . to fight one-on-one. . . that is what. . will happen. . . trust me. . . I know what. . . I'm . . . doing. . . ." She winked.

"Finish it now!" Kai commanded. Her White Wind shield broke, leaving her beyblade vulnerable to the might of his attacks. ". . . Heaven's. . . Cataract. . ." Rhea whispered. Kraken responded with a low whine as he arched his back towards the blazing phoenix. As Kraken's spikes lifted once more, the temperature of the air dropped considerably, as the ground turned to ice. The burning feathers that were hurtling towards the dragon froze in mid-air, and dropped harmlessly onto the frozen ground. The next wave of wind brought blizzard conditions, and the air was thick with snow and ice. Kai's beyblade froze where it was, leaving him speechless. "What. . . ?" He muttered.

"Now, Kraken. . .Silent White. . ." Rhea said quietly, as her breath froze in the air in front of her.

A quick 'upward nod' of the great dragon's head sent the icicles shooting up. One collided with Kai's beyblade, and sent it flying helplessly into the air. "To finish it, Kraken. . . final attack." Her blade shot up and slammed straight into Kai's beyblade, splitting it in two. Dranzer vanished from the sky, and the icicles shattered. Rhea's beyblade landed neatly in front of her, still spinning, as she collapsed onto her knees on the icy ground sweating, despite the cold.

Hilary and the others ran up to her. "Rhea? Are you okay?" They asked.

"Yeah, just a little. . .tired." She laughed.

"Man, Rhea. . ." Tyson began. He stopped when she held up her hand.

"If it's about your rematch, Tyson. . . it'll have to wait. . .I definitely need a. . . breather now," she sighed.

"You deserve it." Kai said, walking up, respect showing in his eyes. "I thought you were stronger than you were letting on when you battled Ray. I had to see for myself."

"But that was no way to speak to her!" Hilary snapped at him.

"Well it proves one thing." Kai said, looking at the two halves of his beyblade. "She definitely deserves to be on the team. Without a doubt."

* * *

**That sort of feels like the end of a min-saga, now, doesn't it? No? Okay, it's just me then. . . me and my weird thoughts in my weird little mind. . . 'sigh…' Anyhow, hope you all liked it, and it wasn't too predictable, keep 'em peeled for my next update, and keep reviewing! Thank, you!**


	8. II Tournament Info

**Heart of Darkness**

**Thanks again for all your reviews, please keep em coming! (I'm sad, I know). Anywhoo, on with the next chapter, enjoy!**

* * *

**Chappie 7**

* * *

It had been a little over a month since Kai had given Rhea the 'entry test,' and she had passed. The two had been much closer since then, as Kai saw her as more or less his equal in beybattle, unlike a certain other navy-haired teen.

"Lets eat." Tyson yawned one afternoon. The whole Bladebreakers team was lounging about in Tyson's backyard; it was too hot to do anything else.

"Tyson, you ate 20 minutes ago!" Hilary yawned back.

"I know, but I'm bored, and when I'm bored I get hungry." He sighed.

"You're always hungry, Tyson." Rhea laughed.

"I can't help it." He shrugged, too hot to rise to the bait.

"Hey, kids, sit up straight a minute, ya got a visitor." Grandpa called to them from inside the dojo.

"Who?" Tyson asked, actually sitting up. His Grandpa moved from the doorway, and went back inside, as another man stepped out into the garden.

"Hey! Mr. D! Long time no see!" Max waved at the chairman.

"Nice to see my little Bladebreaker team is keeping in top form." He greeted.

"Ah, Mr. D, its too hot today!" Tyson laughed. "Where have you been, anyway, sir?"

"Oh, busy, busy, busy, tracking down beybladers, contacting teams, mountains of paperwork!" The old man laughed, brushing down his moustache.

"Why have you been contacting bladers?" Ray asked.

"Well, it's why I'm here. You see, I know there hasn't been any tournaments lately, so I decided to put together a little charity competition." Mr. Dickenson explained.

"A charity tournament? Is it big?" Tyson asked, jumping up.

"Not really, I'm afraid, we didn't have much funding left over to bring in some of the bigger and more well-known teams. Most of the kids you'll be facing will be amateurs looking to gain experience in the dish against top-level competitors such as yourselves. I know it wont be much of a challenge, but the fans'll like it after not seeing you play for such a long time. It's more to keep in practice, really, before any other major competitions come up." He informed them.

"You hear that, Rhea? Entering a tournament as a Bladebreaker! How does that sound?" Hilary smiled.

"Can't wait!" She laughed back.

"Ah, yes, Rhea. I've heard a great deal about you. Technically, you shouldn't have been allowed on the team without first contacting me, but from what I know you're a good beyblader. I look forward to seeing you compete." The old man said to her.

"Thank you." She smiled warmly back.

"The tournament starts tomorrow, kids. I apologize that it's such short notice, but being chairman of the BBA is a lot of work. I expect you'll have training to do, now. I'll see you in the Seaside Dome in downtown Bey City, tomorrow, then." Mr. Dickenson turned and left the team in the backyard.

"Whoo, Mr. D is right, we have to be ready! I'm going inside for a little snack. . . or . . 2. . .or . . 3. . ." Tyson smiled, as he walked inside, stomach rumbling.

"I'm going to look at the BBA's website, and see if there's any data on any of the teams competing." Kenny explained, following Tyson inside. Ray, Max and Hilary followed. Rhea turned to go in too, but thought against it, and walked over to Kai, who was studying his Dranzer blade. "What do you think of this, Kai?" She asked.

"It's practice, I guess." He sighed, as he pocketed his beyblade.

"Not that you need it!" Rhea winked.

"You should always keep in practice. You never know when you might have to beybattle."

"I guess." The two walked back into the cool shade of the dojo together.

"Hey, Kai, Rhea, over here! Chief wants to show us something!" Ray called them both over.

"What's up, Chief?" Rhea asked. The team gathered round Kenny's laptop.

"Mr. Dickenson has already put up the format of this competition on the website, guys, I'm just going through it now." He explained. "30 teams are competing, not including us. These 30 teams will battle each other in the preliminary round. Every win gets them a place in the opening rounds, so if you do the maths, that'll be 15 teams left after the prelims."

"What about us, Chief?" Ray asked.

"We don't have to play the prelims, we already qualified because we're the world champions. We take up the final place making the tournament officially begin with 16 teams competing. You with me so far?"

The team nodded. "Once the opening match has its winners, they move into the quarter finals, the winners of that move into the semi-finals, and the winners of that will move into the finals, the winning team being crowned tournament champions!"

"So. . . er. . . how many battles are we actually gonna play?" Max asked, trying to count on his fingers.

"Assuming we win every match, we'll play a total of 4 battles."

"So, Kenny, what will the matches be like? One sudden death battle?" Rhea asked.

"No, it'll be the standard 3 vs 3 format." Kenny replied, checking his notes. "But we wont decide who plays who until right before the match, it's easier that way."

"Alright! It's settled. I'm looking forward to spinning in a tournament again!" Ray said.

"Me too! This is gonna be fun!" Max agreed, punching the air.

"Yup. . ." Rhea nodded, ". . . fun. . ."

* * *

**I'm sorry, that chappie kinda sucked, and it was short, and it wasall talking, I'll try and cut down on that, but I had to get info across. Keep reviewing, as always, yadda yadda yadda. . . . . . .**


	9. Preliminaries

**Heart of Darkness**

**Okay! Another chapter to add in! Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chappie 8**

* * *

The Bladebreakers team walked into the main entrance of the Seaside Dome early the next afternoon. As they pushed their way through the crowds of fans, they were forced to sign autographs on the beyblades, scrap pieces of paper, t-shirts, tissues and hands of the fans. "Wow! You guys get a lot of attention, don't you?" Rhea asked.

"Yeah, but you get used to it!" Hilary smiled.

"Rhea! Rhea! Sign this, please!" A group of fans called out as they shoved their way towards her and Hilary. "How do they know who I am?" Rhea asked.

"Computers and websites. News travels fast in a town like this!" Kenny laughed, as he saw people wearing mini-laptop key chains.

"C'mon, guys. We'd better get inside before we're overrun." Kai said, trying to shoo them away. The team agreed, and made for the door, all except for Tyson, who was still waving at the crowd. Hilary had to drag him away by the ear.

Once inside, Mr. Dickenson met them in the main lobby. "Ah, the world champions have arrived!" He smiled. "I've already registered you, you're Team 1." He said.

"Thanks, Mr. D!" Max said. "So when do the prelims start? It'll be good to check out the competition."

"Oh, they'll be getting underway shortly, about 5 minutes or so and they'll start."

"Lets go to the main stadium, then, and check it out." Ray said.

The team headed out into the stands, keeping to the small path that ran around the very top, in order to lessen their chances of being seen. The other spectators were milling about, waiting for the battles to begin. Even though none of the team was actually battling, they all had the same pre-tournament nerves. After a few minutes, DJ Jazzman stepped out onto the floor. "Ladies and gentlemen, if you could take your seats, the preliminary round is about to begin!" His voice rang out.

"You know, I'd almost forgotten about all this." Ray laughed.

"Yeah, I never get tired of it!" Tyson agreed.

"Now, as you can see, on the stadium floor there is a representative from each of the 30 competing teams!" DJ's voice called out again. "Each one of these 30 budding beyblade stars has been randomly paired up. They will beybattle in one of the 15 classic dishes already on the floor. It's simple sudden death one-on-one battles. Once 15 teams have been eliminated, we'll move onto the opening round. Is everybody ready, then?"

The crowd cheered as the beybladers took up their positions around the dishes. "Get set!" DJ continued over the roar of the crowd. "3. . .2. ." The crowd counted along with the announcer. ". .1. . Let it rip!" The simultaneous release of 30 beyblades made the crowd yell even louder.

"Hehe. . .this is like having multi-channel on TV!" Max laughed. "You just don't know which battle to watch!"

"I'm with you there, Max." Tyson agreed. "Ooh, that was a strong attack by that kid!"

"Where?" Hilary asked.

"That one, top-left beydish, the kid with the red blade. . . see him?" Tyson pointed out for her.

"I see. . . he's not too bad."

For the next couple of minutes, the team continued to point at possible rising stars, while Kenny did the sensible thing and filmed the entire stadium floor, which would allow him to zoom into each individual battle at a later time.

As the last beyblade was knocked out of the dish, DJ called it. "And that's it! The preliminaries are over! Well done to those that made it, unlucky to those who didn't, but there's always next time!" The Jazz said. "Now I have to apologize to the long-time beyblade fans, that neither Brad nor AJ will be here commenting with me during this tournament. AJ is currently undergoing laser-eye-surgery, and will not be back here with us for some time, and Brad is on holiday in Portugal, visiting relatives. Yes, even commentators have to have a couple of weeks off sometimes! I'll be back with you in 10 minutes for the opening round, so don't go away!"

"Well we're up in 10 minutes, I guess we better go to the locker room and prepare!" Tyson said. "Everyone ready?"

He led the team towards their locker room. "He's like a general rousing his troops!" Hilary told Rhea.

"Hehe. . . it's alright!" She laughed back.

Kai was the last to enter the room. Through force of habit, he glanced over his shoulder before he entered. Kai caught sight of a shadowy figure at the end of the corridor, watching him. At Kai's glance, though, he disappeared. . .

* * *

**Okay, I think that was marginally better than the chappie b4. I've just noticed, everyone keeps smiling and laughing at one another, I must alter that! I need to think of other words to use instead of 'smiled' and 'laughed' . . . hmmm . . .this is me just thinking out loud, take no notice! Keep reviewing, and. . . err . . . reading.. . and. . .err. . . . . . . . . . . .yeah **


	10. The Opening Round Begins

**Heart of Darkness**

**I am sooo sorry for not updating, but what with exams and all it hasn't been easy! Anyhow, I must thank MyOwnWorld, a.k.a. Sharon for most of the characters for this upcoming tournament! No way I could have done it without the extra bladers, so thank her for this Chappie! Anyhow, I won't keep my wonderful reviewers waiting! (hint, hint)**

* * *

**Chappie 8**

* * *

The team sat on the benches facing Kenny in their locker room whilst they awaited their 'call to battle.' "Tyson, you'll start things off, as you're a good lead blader. Rhea will beybattle second, and Ray will be the third blader." Kenny explained.

"Alright! I can get straight into it!" Tyson yelled, clenching his fists in anticipation.

"Can the two teams participating in the opening match please proceed to the stadium floor." A voice rang out from a speaker in the top corner of the room. "I repeat, can the two teams participating in the opening match please proceed to the stadium floor. Thank you."

"Well guys, its showtime." Tyson scratched his nose as he stood up.

"Hang on a sec, where's Kai?" Hilary asked.

"Huh? He's right . . . . here?" Tyson muttered, looking round the locker room. It was completely devoid of the slate-haired teen.

"Aw man, not again!" Tyson yelled. "He ALWAYS does this! Just before a match, poof! He vanishes!"

"Hehe . . . nice sound effects, Tyson." Hilary teased as she and the team sweatdropped.

"I wouldn't worry about it." Rhea said.

"Yeah, Kai will turn up as always." Ray agreed. "Besides, he's not playing in the opening match, so we shouldn't worry about him."

"Ray's right, we should head to the stadium, and worry about Kai later." Max nodded.

The Bladebreakers team, minus Kai, made their way down the corridors towards the stadium and the roaring fans.

"Nervous?" Hilary asked Rhea.

"Me? No!" Rhea answered, her voice a little shaky.

"Just relax! It'll be fine. Concentrate on blading, nothing else." Max advised.

"Thanks, Max. I'll remember that." She thanked.

As the team were about to pass through the mouth of the tunnel, and walk out onto the stadium floor, Kai stepped out of the shadows

"Kai!" They all gasped.

"What kept you? The other team is here already." He replied, as emotionless as ever.

"Where were you?" Max asked. "We were worried."

"Let's go." Kai said, leading them out onto the floor.

"I'm Brad Best sitting next to AJ Topper; we're bringing you all the action live from Seaside Dome, today!" The voice of the commentator sounded above the fans.

"And let me say how great it is to see the reigning World Champions back in action! I for one have certainly missed seeing them play!" AJ added.

"Brad! AJ! I thought you guys were busy?" Tyson called up to the commentators.

"Hehe, my family is watching this on TV so I cancelled my trip there! Hi mom!" Brad laughed.

"Yeah, the day I stick a laser in my eye is the day Jazzman quits hosting!" AJ said.

"Speaking of the Jazz, here he is!" Brad informed them.

"Welcome back fans for the opening match of this charity tournament!" DJ smiled as he stepped out onto the floor. "Now, without further ado, let's meet the players!"

"Good luck, Tyson!" Hilary said as he stepped forward. She and the rest of the rest of the team sat on the team bench behind, as the spotlight rested on Tyson, and his stats appeared on the jumbo TV screens around the stadium.

"No stranger to these tournaments is 2-time World Champion Tyson!" AJ introduced.

"An amazing kid with some real talent, eh AJ?" Brad asked.

"Yeah, I remember when he was just a rookie here almost 2 years ago." AJ nodded. "His Dragoon bitbeast is definitely a force to be reckoned with, and a reputation to scare off even the most hard-core of bladers."

The crowd cheered even louder as Tyson approached the lid of the dish. It was fairly large, about 20ft in diameter, as the smaller beydishes from the preliminary round had been removed.

"And now for Tyson's competition! Stepping up for the Alaula Bladers, its Alexis!" Jazzman waved to the other side of the stadium floor. The spotlight fell on a blue haired girl. She made her way up to the other side of the beystadium, as her stats replaced Tyson's on the screens.

"Alexis isn't a rookie to the sport of Beyblade, Brad and I have seen her team around, and it's no surprise they're stepping forward to challenge the champs!" AJ announced.

"Lexi's bitbeast is the ice phoenix Icilous, and is just as powerful as the polar opposite, Dranzer, wielded by the one and only Kai. It's a shame we don't get to see those two squaring off, eh AJ?" Brad asked.

"Well we have to just go with the flow, Brad." AJ said to his co-host.

"Good luck, Lexi!" Tyson smiled to her, as he loaded Dragoon into his launcher. He received a cold nod of acknowledgement. 'Great, another Kai.' Tyson thought to himself, as the dish lid opened, revealing a perfectly smooth red beystadium.

"Bladers take your positions!" Jazz told them. Lexi loaded her light blue beyblade, and fed the ripcord through. "Good luck to you too." She laughed.

"Huh? Oh, thanks!" Tyson laughed back, happy she was talking at least.

"You'll need it." She added.

"Thanks, but I doubt that!" Tyson smirked.

"3. . ." Jazz began.

"I am 2-time Word Champ, after all!"

". . 2 . ."

"That doesn't matter when you're in the dish with me!" Lexi grinned.

" . . 1 . ."

"Let it rip!" They called out together as they launched simultaneously.

* * *

**. . . and I think I'll leave it there! Hehe. . . sorry again for the wait, and thanks again to MyOwnWorld for the characters. I'm hoping to get 15 reviews by the end of this 10th Chappie, so please review, review, review!**


	11. Beybattles!

**Heart of Darkness**

**Thanks to all my reviewers! I was aiming for 15 but got one better! Cheers! Keep reviewing, also, any suggestions are welcome! On with the fic!**

* * *

**Chappie 9**

* * *

Lexi's light blue beyblade circled the rim of the dish quickly, with Tyson's Dragoon mirroring her moves. This distance began to infuriate Tyson, and before long he ordered Dragoon to attack. "Tyson isn't wasting any time in going in for an attack on Lexi!" AJ informed the whole stadium.

"Go for it Dragoon!" Tyson ordered, as his beyblade broke away from circling the dish, and attacked Lexi. Her blade met his attacks with a fairly solid defence though, chipping in a counterattack whenever she could.

"Ready, Tyson?" Lexi called to him.

"Huh? For what?" He answered, confused.

"For _this_! Icilous, Ice Shard Attack!" She called out, raising her hand to emphasize the attack. Her ice phoenix bit beast rose from the glowing beyblade, and as it opened its wings, the creature sent huge splinters of ice flying towards the newly summoned Dragoon.

"Wow! And Lexi meets Tyson's aggressive start with some moves of her own!" Jazzman said to the stands.

"Tyson's blade is avoiding Lexi's freezing onslaught with ease!" Brad commented. "She'll have to changer her tactics if she wants to beat a pro like Tyson!" AJ added.

"Now Dragoon, attack her now!" Tyson ordered. His beyblade dodged the Ice Shard Attack, and moved in to attack again.

"That's it, Tyson!" Hilary called out to him.

"Don't let up now!" Max cheered.

Just as the white beyblade had forced Lexi's to the edge of the dish, she pulled away. "Ooh! Sweet sidewinder on Lexi's part, I thought Tyson had her!" AJ yelled, almost as happy and excited as the crowds.

"No more fooling around, Tyson!" Lexi shouted out to the cap-clad Bladebreaker.

"Good, I thought it was too easy, I was getting' bored!" Tyson remarked, rubbing his nose again.

"Ice Rink Attack!" She cried. "Let's see you dodge this!" Lexi laughed. The entire dish was covered in ice within seconds, leaving a distinct chill in the air.

"That's it? I'm waiting to be impressed!" Tyson smirked.

"Take a look at your blade." Lexi smirked back, equally as confident. Tyson blinked repeatedly, confused, before he noticed Dragoon was spinning slightly erratically.

"Oh no! Dragoon is losing spin control; its rotation speed is slowing because of the slippery surface!" Kenny gasped, reading data from his laptop.

"Spin control?" Hilary asked.

"Lexi's Ice Rink causes her opponent's blade to spin out of control because of the ice, it's happening to Tyson now; he's only got a few seconds before he loses control completely!" He explained.

"It's a shame I'm not facing her." Rhea voiced. "I'd have no problem with the ice." She laughed under her breath.

"Tyson, come on! Get it together! You have to attack her with everything you've got right now!" Hilary and the others called out.

Tyson blinked back to his bench, then to the fans in the stands, and back to Lexi. "No way I'm gonna lose in front of all these fans!" He said.

"What?" Lexi asked.

"Not after such a long wait, it'd be a shame to disappoint them." He sniggered.

"What's happening? My attack? It . . . isn't working?" Lexi gasped as she saw Dragoon regain its spin. "How?" She babbled.

"Hehe, you put up a good fight, Lexi, and you entertained the crowd! But it ends now!" Tyson called to her. "Go Evolution Storm!"

"And Tyson's trademark twin tornadoes have simply blown Icilous up, up and away way out of the dish!" Brad joked, as Icilous was thrown out of the beystadium, along with the ice. "No!" Lexi cried, as she caught her beyblade. "But . . ."

"Hey, don't worry about it!" Tyson said, walking up to her. "We'll have a rematch, okay? You're good." He held his hand out. Lexi looked at it uncertainly, before giving in to good sportsmanship. "Rematch. Defo." She smiled warmly, before making her way back to her own team bench.

"Tyson takes this first of 3 battles!" DJ announced. "Next match, it's the new blader on the Bladebreakers team, Rhea!"

Rhea gulped when the host said her name. "Knock 'em dead girl!" Tyson slapped her on the back in a friendly manner as he returned to the others.

"Err . . . thanks . . ." She smiled as the spotlight fell on her, and her stats appeared on the screens.

"Remember, just relax." Max repeated.

Rhea stole one quick glance at Kai before stepping up to the beystadium. '_A little_ _encouragement would've been nice, Kai_.' She thought to herself. '_This is not going to_ _be easy if he doesn't change. . ._'

She was so lost in thought she barely even registered her name was being announced by the commentators. ". . . to the team." Brad was saying.

"Totally, Brad, now for her opponent." AJ finished.

The spotlight fell onto a boy of 16, wearing his crimson hair up in a ponytail, as he too stepped up to the dish. "Pleased to meet you, Rhea is it?" He greeted.

"Yes . . . you're . . ."

"Blair also travels with the Alaula Bladers team . . ." Brad was introducing.

"Blair, I see." Rhea nodded.

"That's right, I'm a nice person out of the dish, but when I get in there . . . well, let's just say I won't go easy on you!" He laughed.

"That's a shame, I was hoping for an easy win." Rhea laughed.

"Me too." Blair replied, loading his blade.

"Bladers take your positions for the second match!" DJ instructed. Rhea loaded her own blade and pointed it towards the dish.

"3 . . . . 2 . . . . 1 . . . . Let it rip!" The Jazz and the crowds shouted.

Both bladers decided to try and end the battle quickly. Right from the offset, Blair summoned his fire phoenix bit beast. "Flare! Let's go!" He called out. As the phoenix rose, it reminded Rhea of her battles with Kai. '_Hehe. . . Fine, lets see what this phoenix can do . . ._' she thought to herself, as her beyblade kept the distance between itself and Flare.

"For all your power, Blair, you're not very fast, are you?" She taunted. Blair remained silent, using all his strength willing Flare to attack. "I can play chase all day, Blair." She continued to tease.

"Looks like Rhea is getting under Blair's skin, with all that trash-talking going on down there!" Brad laughed.

"Fire Illusion!" Blair cried out.

"Kraken, now!" Rhea summoned. As her dragon bit beast rose, Flare hesitated, and stopped the attack.

"Flare? What are you doing? Fire Illusion!" Blair re-ordered.

"I think not!" Rhea smiled as Blair's crimson blade sped towards hers. "Heaven's Cataract." She ordered. As Kraken once again unfurled its wings and commenced to freeze everything, Blair responded. "Use Fire Inferno!"

The two bit beasts of fire and ice seemed to be locked in a stalemate, with neither pushing forward.

Flare was melting the ice as it came around him, and the ice was so powerful around Kraken it could not be melted, leaving a pool of water in the middle of the dish.

"Rhea! Come on! This isn't working! Try something else!" Tyson called out to her.

"Be quiet, Tyson. It's working fine." Kai said.

"Huh? Kai? You're still alive back there? When did you wake up?" Tyson joked.

"Very funny, but if you don't want to hear my advice . . ." Kai smirked.

"Ignore Tyson, Kai. Why is Rhea's attack working?" Max asked.

"Look at the centre of the dish, its becoming flooded because of the melted ice. Blair's beyblade is much lower in the dish than Rhea's blade, so he will lose control soon." He explained.

"I see, so it's just a waiting game now, until the water reaches Blair." Ray understood.

"Flare, use all your power to burn away that dragon!" Blair cried out. Rhea simply laughed in amusement. "Silent White, Kraken." She commanded.

Instantly, the icicles shot up towards Blair's beyblade. He was focussing so much on pouring energy into his attack, he barely even realised she was back on the offensive.

"Wha-?" He mumbled. It was too late; one icicle shot up underneath his blade, and sent it flying out.

"Rhea takes the second match!" Jazzman cheered along with the fans.

"Man, you're too much, Rhea." Blair sighed.

"Just get a bit more control of your bit beast, that's all." Rhea told him.

"Mmm, I know I have to work on that. Thanks for the good match though; we'll have to battle again sometime." He waved as he left the dish.

Rhea returned to the team bench to cheers from the others. "Sweet victory!" Max grinned. "Yeah, couldn't have done better myself!" Ray agreed.

"No, maybe not you, but I'm sure _I_ could have!" Tyson puffed himself up.

"Oh stop it, Tyson!" Hilary huffed, hitting him over the head in a mock-fight.

"Take it easy Hil; I was just messin' with her. Seriously though, Rhea, good match." Tyson told her. "Well, Ray, you're up next." Tyson turned towards the raven-haired teen. "Make it a perfect score!"

"Yeah." Ray nodded as he stepped up to the dish, spotlight on him.

"Next up, it's Ray for the Bladebreakers." Brad introduced.

"Uh-huh, probably the most consistent member of the team, he's got some mean skills and an even meaner bit beast! Driger's been known to eliminate many an opponent, will Trisha from the Alaula Bladers be next?" AJ mused, as the spotlight left Ray and fell on a brunette standing by the dish.

"Man, it's not easy to go out and blade after your teamates losses." AJ said.

"Trish is out to save face, but it won't be easy against someone like Ray!" Brad said.

Trish looked quite nervous compared to the confident Ray; she fiddled with her green and yellow blade, waiting for Jazzman to start it. "Bladers, the third and final match of the opening match is about to begin! Get ready!" DJ began. Both Trish and Ray loaded their beyblades and awaited the countdown.

"Good luck." Ray said. Trish merely nodded in reply.

"3 . . . 2 . . . 1 . . . Let it rip!" DJ called out.

"Come on Ray! Just one more victory!" Hilary cheered him on.

"Don't worry about a thing, Driger and I will win this, no sweat." Ray's keen ears had picked up the girls quiet (!) voice.

"Let's do this!" The neko-jin called to his silver blade, causing the green bitchip to light, and the White Tiger to emerge, snarling.

"Lionaris!" Trish summoned. Her own bit beast, a Lion, practically leapt out of her blade, and met Ray's attack.

"Lion verses Tiger, this is gonna be one huge catfight!" AJ laughed at the pun. The claws and fangs flew everywhere upon Driger and Lionaris's contact. "Driger, evade her attacks, and then come back in!" Ray ordered, trying to put together a strategy.

Trish, however, wasn't going to let him escape. "Oh no you don't! Electric Claw!" She commanded of her bit beast.

The lion raced after the tiger, and although it was not as fast, the dish was small enough for it to gain some ground on the white tiger. Once Lionaris was close enough, he struck out with his claws, sending a wave of electrical energy through Driger. "Aargh!" Ray cried out, he could feel Driger's pain.

"Power Claw!" Trish ordered, wanted to end it quickly, and save the two of them any more suffering.

"Ray? You okay?" Tyson called to him.

"Yeah . . . fine, she just caught me off guard . . . it's just a scratch." He looked up to meet Trish's new attack with wary eyes. Ray calculated her speed, and chose the exact moment to evade. "Move now!" He called out to Driger.

Ray had timed it perfectly, the momentum of her attack had taken Trish's blade too far, and it was rapidly approaching the edge of the dish.

"Slow down, Lionaris!" She called out desperately.

"Circle around and use Gatling Claw!" Ray ordered. Driger shot towards the green and yellow blade. In one swift movement, it had been thrown from the dish and back into her hands.

"Not again!" She sighed, looking dejectedly at her beyblade.

"Don't worry, you'll get better." Ray smiled, as he caught his Driger Blade and returned to the bench.

"Well played!" Kenny nodded, still looking at his laptop. "Good match."

"That's it for the opening match! The quarter finals will be starting in approximately 20 minutes. The Bladebreakers will be against the Tsunami Waves! See you all then!" DJ Jazzman announced before he disappeared.

"Well that was certainly a good warm-up, eh AJ?" Brad asked his co-host.

"Most defiantly, I am so stoked for the quarter finals, it's just gonna get better and better!"

"We best head back to the locker room and plan our line-up for the quarter finals." Kenny told them. "Yeah, and while we're there, maybe we can get something to eat!" Tyson sighed as his stomach rumbled, again.

As the team walked towards the tunnel, Rhea fell back and walked next to Kai. "What's wrong?" She asked, seeing he was looking at someone in the stands. "Who are you looking at?" Rhea tried to follow his line of vision, but most of the people in the stands were standing up and walking about, it was hard to focus on any individuals.

"Huh? Kai?" She asked again.

"Never mind, I'm sure you'll see soon enough." He said, as cold as ever.

"What is up with you, Kai?" She muttered under her breath before following him and the team back to the locker room, unaware the person in the stands had been watching her . . .

* * *

**Okay, that was a bit of a long one, eh? I must apologize for using the quote 'I'm waiting to be impressed,' but it just sort of fitted the scene. I've noticed a few people have added this fic as a fav or one to watch, but I've not received a review, what's the deal with that? I'm flattered u like the story but PLEASE review! See that little button that says 'Go?' Its saying "press me, press me" I know this because I have a friend of a friend of a friend who speaks button ... oh dear. O.o**


	12. Digging for Info

**Heart of Darkness**

**Thanks for reviewing, people! By the way/location/ means a place or . . . location . . . okay. Here's the next one, enjoy!**

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**Chappie 10**

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/In the stands/

"Not bad beyblading."

"I've seen better, well, I've seen _them_ play better."

"Shall we go now?"

"We wait until the finals, and then we can have our little exhibition match."

"But I think Kai may have spotted us."

"It doesn't matter. Kai won't say anything, he never does."

"That's not how _I_ remember him."

"You wouldn't, would you? Ugh, let's get out of these seats; Lord only knows when they were last cleaned."

"Hehe . . ."

/Back in the Bladebreaker's locker room/

When the victorious team returned to their room, Mr. Dickenson was already awaiting their arrival. "Well done, kids!" The old man applauded as they entered. "One battle down, 3 more to go!"

"Thank you, sir. I just want to say thanks for entering us in this-" Kenny began, before Tyson barged past.

"Ah! Mr. D! Where's the food court? I'm starving!"

"Err . . . through the hall . . . and on the left . . ." Mr. Dickenson replied, vaguely remembering what Tyson was like around food.

"Excellent! Call me when we're up!" Tyson said, adjusting his cap and making for the door.

"Tyson, you're appetite will be the death of you, one day." Hilary muttered.

"Why? What's wrong?" Tyson asked.

"Never mind. Go and eat." She sighed.

"You don't have to tell me twice!" He laughed, disappearing out the door.

"Is there something you wanted to tell us, Mr. Dickenson?" Ray asked.

"I just wanted a brief word with Kai, that's all." He explained. "Kai, if you'd step outside for a moment?" Kai followed the old man out, and closed the door behind them.

"D'ya think its important?" Max asked.

"Who knows when it comes to Kai?" Kenny sighed. The five Bladebreakers shuffled about in an awkward silence, before Hilary clapped her hands. "So, Chief, who's blading in the quarter finals?" She asked, in an effort to lighten the mood.

"Ah, yes!" The Chief smiled happily. "Our next opponents, the Tsunami Waves, are going to be tough to beat. Mr. Dickenson brought in some tough bladers, no matter how much he tries to deny it. Max, you'll be beyblading first, you're fresh, which gives us an advantage. Tyson will blade second." Kenny explained. "I know Tyson doesn't usually blade in the second match, but this switch might add the element of surprise, so we should take the upper hand. Ray, again, will finish things off in the third battle."

"Alright!" Max cheered, eager to spin. "When Kai's done talking to Mr. Dickenson we should find Tyson, and make sure he doesn't over-eat."

"Good idea. Remember what happened back in the American tournament?" Ray asked, remembering what had happened to Tyson then.

"Hehe, yeah. We definitely do not want a repeat of that incident." Kenny sighed.

The door opened, and Kai walked back in, followed by Mr. Dickenson. He brushed his moustache down and grinned to himself. Ray noticed this immediately. "What have you been up to?" He asked. The team were all too aware of the pranks their sponsor was capable of. "Oh nothing, nothing!" Mr. Dickenson laughed. "You'd better get to Tyson; you'll be called up any minute now." The old man continued grinning to himself mischievously as he left the locker room.

"Kai?" Hilary asked.

"Like Mr. Dickenson said, it's nothing." Kai answered. "Kenny, let me blade in the finals." He asked.

"Sure, Kai, I had you on the line-up for both the Semis and the Finals anyway." The Chief replied.

"Good." Kai nodded.

"Why do you want to blade then?" Rhea asked. Kai simply snorted to himself, not wanting to answer.

"Let's get Tyson." Kenny said, leading the way.

Rhea walked next to Ray, and the others were up front. "Why does he have to be so distant all the time?" She asked him.

"Kai? He . . . had a rough past." Ray answered, choosing his words carefully.

"Rough past?" She asked innocently. '_It'll be good to see how much they know_.'

"It's not really my place to say, Rhea, but . . . I suppose you should know. Kai grew up in Russia, and trained to be a beyblader in an underground abbey run by a man called Boris." He explained, missing out a lot of the details. Rhea could not suppress a shudder when she heard the name."Heard of him?" Ray asked, noticing her movements. Rhea remained silent, intent on studying the floor where she was walking. "Let me put it this way." Ray said, "Boris and the abbey . . . didn't always have Kai's best interests at heart . . . if you know what I mean." He sighed.

They were broken out of their thoughts by the noise of the food court, and to Rhea's surprise, it brought a welcome distraction. The main noise of the room was Tyson's name being called out by Hilary and Kenny.

"We haven't been called out yet!" Tyson moaned.

"No, but by the time we do you'll be too stuffed to beybattle!" Kenny argued.

"No way! Never happen! Not in a million years!" Tyson laughed, eyeing the buffet table.

"Don't even think about it!" Hilary growled, catching his eye.

"Alright, alright, fine. When am I blading, Chief?" Tyson asked.

"Second match." Kenny told him.

"That's decades away!" Tyson huffed.

"Would the two teams participating in the quarter finals please approach the stadium floor." The voice rang out from the speakers again. "I repeat . . ."

"See? It's closer than you think." Kenny laughed. "We'd better get a move on."

The team entered the stadium, and sat on the team bench, as above, the crowd were finding their own seats. "Much earlier!" Kenny smiled. "Now we have a bit of extra time to prepare." He smiled, opening his laptop again.

While most of the team had gathered round Kenny and his laptop, Rhea watched Kai. She noticed he took one glance into the stadium, and then looked at her. She understood what he wanted, and looked into the crowds of people. She immediately found two pairs of eyes watching her, one was a deep red, and the other pair was lavender. '_I know you_.' Rhea thought to herself. '_What are you doing here, I wonder_?'

* * *

**I'm sorry that Chappie was a bit short, I know its kind of obvious who the people in the stands are, err . . . mystery solved, I guess! Hehe . . . keep reviewing! Muchas Gracias!**


	13. Quarter Finals

**Heart of Darkness**

**I apologise for not updating for so long, been difficult. I think I might have to put the rating up to T for the next chapter onwards, just to be safe for a few things that'll happen in future chappies. Just warning you! Thanks, as always, to those that reviewed, here's the next chappie! Enjoy!**

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**Chappie 12**

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Rhea turned her attention back to the beystadium. She had been trying not to stare into the stands, but it was proving difficult. "Keep it up, Max!" She heard Kenny yelling. Tyson took a few steps towards the dish in order to cheer Max on. His sudden movement broke Rhea from her trance, and she put her whole attention back on Max's beybattle with John of the Tsunami Waves team.

His scorpion bit beast, Scorpinock, was going head-on with Draciel.

"Scorpinock attack!" John was shouting.

"Gravity Control!" Max countered. The dish was soon flooded with water as Draciel went on the attack. "That's it, Draciel!" Max continued to roar.

"Looks like this is gonna be a quick win!" DJ called out as Max's green beyblade slammed into John's yellow one.

The sparks produced by the collisions were extinguished immediately because of Max's water-based attacks dominating the dish. "Draciel, finish it!" Max ordered. With a triumphant roar, Draciel forced the scorpion into retreat, as its beyblade was thrown from the dish.

"And Max takes this first of 3 in the Quarter Finals!" Brad announced.

"Dude, it seems the Bladebreakers are right on form! They'll be tough to beat! Especially with Tyson spinning next!" AJ said.

"Well done, Max!" Tyson smiled at his blonde friend. "Man, you made it look so easy!"

"Hehe, thanks bud. You're up next." Max smiled back as he went to sit next to Kenny on the bench.

"Good match, Max. You've improved." Kenny said to him, checking the data on his laptop. The team looked up after Tyson had received his second introduction, and DJ, Brad and AJ were introducing his opponent.

"Next up for the Tsunami Waves it's Sharon!" DJ called out. A blonde girl ran up to the dish smiling and waving at the fans. She faced Tyson once she was in position by the dish, and gave him a thumbs up. "Ready to lose, Tyson?" She asked jokingly.

"Ask yourself the same question!" Tyson laughed back.

"Sharon's fire bit beast, Shadow, is a black fox, and it's been known to pack quite a punch when backed into a corner!" AJ informed everyone.

"Tyson better be careful with this one." Brad added.

"Bladers take your positions please." DJ began. Tyson and Sharon loaded their beyblades and pointed them at the dish.

"3 . . . 2 . . . 1 . . ." DJ and the crowd counted.

"Let it rip!" The bladers called out as they launched.

Sharon began with an aggressive start that matched Tyson's. "Lets go, Shadow!" She called to her bit beast. As her black and red blade glowed, her fox bit beast arose from it. "Ah, getting right into it, are ya?" Tyson asked, scratching his nose. "Well two can play at that! Dragoon! Show her how it's done!"

"Both bit beasts are out now, be prepared for total destruction!" AJ laughed.

"Attack, Dragoon!" Tyson ordered. The blue dragon attacked the black fox in a frenzy of attacks, but Shadow managed to avoid most of them. "Evolution Storm!" Tyson ordered, using his trademark attack.

"No, Tyson! It's too early to use Evolution Storm!" Kenny cried out.

As the vicious winds tore through the dish towards Shadow, Sharon was ready. "Fire Blast!" A huge wall of fire engulfed the wind attack just before it reached the black fox, turning it into a double twister of fire.

"Ha! Your attack backfired, Sharon! Now you've got fire coming for you!" Tyson laughed, as his attack collided with Shadow. After a minute or two, the attack had died down, and after the last ember was extinguished, Shadow was still there, completely unscathed.

"W . . . What?" Tyson nearly fell over in shock. "But how?"

"Tyson! Shadow is a fire elemental bit beast, so any form of fire attack won't hurt it!" Kenny explained angrily. "Shadow turned your wind attack into fire! It had no effect!"

"Huh? It didn't? Okay, then, this time I won't let you do that! Go Evolution Storm!" Tyson ordered again, as another set of twin tornadoes headed for Shadow.

"What are you doing Tyson? Kenny just said it wouldn't work!" Hilary called out to him. Just as before, Shadow used its Fire Blast attack to neutralise Tyson's attack.

"Is that the best you can do?" Sharon teased.

"Of course not!" Tyson bellowed back. "Well . . . sort of . . . err . . . yeah . . . Chief? Any ideas?" He turned back to his team bench.

"I told you that you used Evolution Storm too early. Just try to hang in there." Kenny muttered, typing furiously on his laptop.

"Alright." Tyson nodded. When he turned back, Sharon was already on the attack.

"Shadow, let's end this! Fire Inferno!" She commanded.

"Dragoon, evade her attack!" Tyson called out. Dragoon, however, had lost too much power in using two Evolution Storm attacks. It was barely spinning upright, and had no energy left to evade. The blue dragon retreated back into its beyblade as it was engulfed in flames by Shadow.

"And Sharon takes the second match!" DJ announced.

"What a beybattle! It's not often you see the champ's attack reduced to nothing, like that!" Brad said.

"I know, well played to Sharon!" AJ nodded.

"Err . . . well done, Sharon." Tyson mumbled. "I guess the better blader won . . ."

"What was that?" Sharon laughed.

"I guess . . . the better blader won . . ." Tyson muttered slightly louder.

"Hehe, thanks, Tyson! It was worth it all just to hear you say that!" She smiled, before returning to her own team bench.

"Unlucky Tyson." Hilary sighed.

"I made a mistake, sorry guys." Tyson muttered.

"It's alright." Max encouraged. "It's not like it's the end of the world!"

"I know." Tyson said, cheering up a bit.

"That's the spirit!" Hilary nodded.

"Now for the final match of the Quarter Finals!" Jazzman began.

"Spinning for the Bladebreakers, its Ray." Brad introduced.

"Come on Ray, just don't lose!" Tyson said as the raven-haired blader stepped forward. "I won't." He said.

As Ray approached the dish, his opponent was already there.

"Facing Ray in this tie-breaking match is Kelly." Brad said.

"Her dolphin bit beast Dolphinal is nearly as fast as Ray's Driger bit beast, and with the pressure of winning on both their heads, this should prove to be an interesting match!" AJ said.

"Bladers ready?" DJ asked. They both nodded, launchers aimed at the dish.

"3 . . . 2 . . . 1 . . . Let it . . ."

"Rip!"

Ray's silver blade immediately began circling the dish, picking up speed after every 'lap,' while Kelly's green blade tried to chase him.

"Dolphinal, come out and show him who's boss!" Kelly called out. As her blade slowed, and her bit chip began to glow, Ray seized the opportunity to attack.

"Now, Driger!" He ordered, mirroring Rhea's trick.

As his beyblade slammed into hers, the green one was sent hurtling towards the rim of the dish. It smashed against it, but miraculously, it regained its spin, albeit a lot slower than before.

"Huh? I don't get it!" Ray asked Rhea, confused. "Why didn't it split?"

"You just missed it, Ray, half a second faster . . . it's all about timing, you see." Rhea tried to explain. "But you still weakened Dolphinal; it should be an easy victory now." She added. As Ray looked at Kelly's blade, he saw how sluggish it was, and realised Rhea was right.

"Hydro Slap!" Kelly attacked.

"I don't think so, Kelly. Driger! Gatling Claw!" The White Tiger emerged from Ray's glowing beyblade, and went on the offensive.

"It looks like Ray was simply too much for Kelly today!" AJ informed, as her blade was thrown out of the dish.

"Team Bladebreakers advance into the Semi Finals!" DJ called it, as Ray claimed his Driger blade from the dish.

"You played well, Kelly, but I was itching to try that move in a tournament!" Ray apologised.

"It's a clever technique, I had no idea." Kelly replied. "Good luck with the rest of the tournament." She waved as she turned away.

"For the Semi Finals," DJ announced. "The teams are: The Bladebreakers verses The Red Blazers! It will begin in approximately 20 minutes, see you all then!" Jazzman gave the crowd one final wave before leaving the stadium floor.

"Thanks to you, Ray, we've secured a spot in the semis!" Kenny thanked as Ray returned.

"Now things will start to get a lot harder, I'm sure." Kai said, looking at the team.

"Of course." Kenny agreed. "So we better be prepared, we can't afford any more losses." The Chief said.

"Right." The whole team nodded, before walking out of the stadium, through the tunnel.

"Rhea." Kai said, walking up to the dark-haired girl.

"Yeah, Kai?" She asked.

"I want to talk to you."

" . . . About?"

"You know what."

"After the tournament, then." She winked, before catching up to the rest of the team.

'_I don't trust you anymore, Rhea. And my trust is what you need, to stay on this team_.'

* * *

**Okay, sorry that was a bit short, but it'll get more interesting during the Semis. I also apologise if I got Max's attack wrong. I haven't seen G-Rev for eons, so I was basing it on memory, so I apologise if it wasn't right. If anyone was wondering about the pairings mentioned in the summary, they will appear, definitely, but not for quite a few chappies yet, I'm afraid. Still wondering about the eyes? Wait and see! Oh, and, err, keep reviewing as usual! Thank you!**


	14. Unlucky For Some

**Heart of Darkness**

**Heya all, I'm sorry for not updating for a while. I think I'll have to put 'Sparkling Eyes' on hold until I'm nearer the end of this fic, that way I can update more frequently. You know, I should really reply 2 my reviewers like I do in Sparkling Eyes, so I may as well start that now! Hehe, enjoy this chappie! **

* * *

**Chappie 13**

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Kenny was pacing about the room with his typical 'I-am-in-a-panic-but-I-don't-want-help' face on. The team watched him walk around in circles for a full 5 minutes, before Tyson finally snapped. "Chief what's wrong?"

"Nothing, nothing . . . just Rhea, Max and Kai have to be careful." Kenny muttered.

"Why?" Max asked, looking at his Draciel blade, after Kenny had given it a tune-up.

"The competition is just really gonna get harder, it's the semi finals!"

"We know it's the semis, Chief, don't worry!" Rhea comforted.

"We are the world champion team after all." Kai agreed.

Kenny slumped in a chair. "I suppose you're right." He sighed.

"Kind of paranoid, isn't he?" Rhea whispered to Hilary.

"Hehe, only when the pressure is on!" She whispered back.

Kenny returned Rhea and Kai's beyblades to them after he had 'dealt with them,' just as the team was called to the stadium again.

"Its blade-time, people, lets make it another perfect score!" Tyson smiled, leading them out.

"You would say that." Hilary huffed.

The bright spotlights almost blinded the team as they entered the stadium, and the roar of the crowd was deafening. "We need earplugs." Hilary told the rest of the team.

"What?" Tyson called back.

"I said we need earplugs!" She called back.

"What?"

"Never mind." She sighed, sitting on the team bench where they were sheltered somewhat from the noise of the stadium.

"Ladies and gentlemen and beyblade fans of all ages, welcome to the semi final match of this charity tournament!" Brad's voice rang through the stadium.

"As I'm sure you all know, the reigning world champions are spinning against the Red Blazers team, can the upstarts dethrone the Bladebreakers?" AJ laughed.

"Well we won't find out by sitting up here all day talking about it!" Brad said.

"That's my queue!" DJ said, stepping onto the stadium floor. "First up to defend the Bladebreakers title its Rhea!" He pointed to her as she stepped up to the dish.

"We saw this girl earlier in the tournament." Brad began. "For her first tournament she's doing very well, eh AJ?"

"Yeah, I've a feeling she could go far." AJ nodded. "Especially with Kraken, her ice dragon bit beast, at her side."

The crowd cheered at the mention of her name, and she waved awkwardly back, before turning her attention on the crowd itself. After a quick scan of the seats, she knew they were no longer there. This fact in itself calmed her, as she looked at her opponent.

A brunette girl with blonde highlights was in position. She had a look of focus on her face, and her red and black beyblade housed a wolf bit beast. "Roxanne is one deadly blader." AJ was saying, "Her wolf bit beast Loborine simply burns anything in its path!"

'_This'll be easy, fire verses ice . . ._' both girls thought to themselves, as DJ began the countdown.

"3 . . . 2 . . . 1 . . . Let it . . ."

"Rip!" Both girls called out as they launched their beyblades.

Both beyblades circled the dish, neither one attacking first. They were testing each others patience.

"Neither competitor seems to be in any rush to make the first move; this could become more of a mind-battle than a beybattle!" DJ informed everyone.

"Don't do anything too hastily, Rhea, wait for her!" Kenny advised.

"Thanks, Chief, but I know what I'm doing." Rhea called back, her eyes never leaving the beystadium. After what seemed like hours, Roxanne finally ordered an attack. "Lets go, Loborine!" She called out. "Dark Inferno!" Her blade slowed and lit up, as her wolf bit beast rose, fire swirling around it, sending sparks in every direction.

Without summoning Kaken, Rhea rushed forward to meet Loborine's attack. The collisions created even more sparks as the beyblades smashed and slammed into one another. Small chunks of metal and plastic could be seen falling off both beyblades, but still neither was in any mood to budge. "Break away Rhea or Loborine will destroy your blade!" Kenny cried out.

"Kraken, come out know!" Rhea summoned. Her dragon bit beast emerged quickly, and immediately went back on the offensive. "Silent White!" Rhea ordered.

"And here those icicles come again!" Brad said, as Roxanne's beyblade was thrown back.

"Ultimate Blast, Loborine!" Roxanne countered.

"Final Attack!" Rhea mirrored.

Both the wolf and the dragon raced towards each other, as the entire stadium drew its breath.

The collision was truly earth-shaking, as the immense power of he wolf and dragon engulfed the stadium. Fire and ice intermingled, causing massive amounts of steam. After the explosion, nothing could be seen because of the piping hot steam.

"I have no idea what is going on down there!" Brad called out.

"I'm equally in the dark, here. Jazzman! Any sign of the winner?" AJ called down.

"Err . . . hold on . . ." The announcer mumbled, as he made his way through the debris towards the stadium.

Waving away the steam in front of his face, DJ arrived at the lip of the dish. "I can see one beyblade spinning . . ." He said, as the last of the steam cleared. "Yes, that's it folks, Roxanne's beyblade is out of the dish! Rhea takes the first match!" He announced. The crowd cheered again, as the dark-haired girl claimed her beyblade from the dish.

"I'm afraid we'll have to make some minor repairs to the dish, if both teams will remain on their benches, we can get back as soon as possible." DJ told the two teams.

"Wow, Rhea! I had no idea Kraken was so powerful!" Hilary hugged Rhea as she returned.

"Don't thank me, thank Kenny! He was the one who upgraded my blade." Rhea confessed, which earned Kenny a hug from Hilary. "Thank you . . ." The Chief blushed. "Now, onto the second match." He continued. "Max, you're blading next, hopefully it'll be another win like Rhea's battle."

"Nothing to worry about, Chief!" Max gave him a thumbs up.

"In the meantime, I'll fix up Rhea's blade, looks like it took quite a beating back there."

"Yeah, sorry about that Kenny!" Rhea apologised.

"It's alright, it's to be expected, just, try not to be so reckless next time."

"Yeah, we already have one Tyson." Hilary laughed.

"Hey!" Tyson huffed. "I am not reckless! I'm . . . head-strong . . ."

"Is there a difference?" Hilary teased.

After a short break, the dish was finally ready for beybattle.

"Thank you beybladers and beyblade fans for your cooperation now will the competitors please approach the dish." DJ asked.

"Good luck Max." The team cheered as the blonde teen got into position.

"Spinning next is the defence blader Max." Brad introduced.

"One of the best players in this game, Max can change strategy instantly; you have to be on your toes to blade against this one!" AJ added.

"And now for Max's competition!" AJ waved to the other side of the stadium.

"From the Red Blazers team, it's Taylor!" Brad announced.

"Taylor is without doubt the most unpredictable blader I've ever come across, especially with Joker. A real trickster if I've ever seen one!" AJ said.

"Now, introductions over let's get this game underway. Bladers take your positions please!" DJ said, as both players aimed their launchers towards the dish.

"Let's have a fair match, Taylor, none of your tricks!" Max called out to his opponent.

"Now where's the fun in that?" Taylor replied mischievously, right eye almost hidden the sideways facing red hat.

"3 . . . 2 . . . 1 . . ." DJ and the crowd counted along.

"Let it rip!"

Taylor's white and black beyblade span in random circles all over the dish, while Draciel remained in the centre. "Come on Maxi, you gonna attack?" Taylor teased.

"No, I think I'll wait." Max smiled.

"You sure? I'm letting you make the first move, you should take it!" Taylor continued. "No? You sure? Really? Okay then, you asked for it!" He continued.

'_Man, this kid wont stop talking!_' Max thought to himself.

"Come on Joker!" Taylor ordered, as his Rabbit bit beast appeared above his beyblade. "Hat Trick!" He ordered.

His beyblade was immediately replaced by 3 blades. "An illusion." Max sighed, as Draciel attacked one. It was solid. "Alright, the other 2 are the illusions." Max ordered Draciel to attack one of the others. It was solid. "Okaaaay . . . Chief?" Max turned back to Kenny, who was studying his laptop screen.

"None of them are illusions, Max, they're all real!" Kenny explained.

"But . . . how can that be?" Max asked.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Taylor asked.

"Yes, I would like to know." Max nodded.

"Well, if you beat me I'll tell ya! How 'bout that?"

"Fine! Draciel, attack!" Max ordered, as his turtle bit beast rose to fight Joker.

"Oh no you don't!" Taylor laughed. "Royal Flush!"

The 3 beyblades circled Max's Draciel blade quickly, and they began tot glow. "Oh no! Taylor's blade . . .well, Taylor's blades . . . are seriously gathering strength!" Kenny yelled. "Max, get away from those blades!" He called out.

"Gotcha!" Max nodded. "Draciel, Gravity Control!"

Draciel immediately began flooding the dish with another water attack, which reduced Taylor's Hat Trick attack to just one beyblade. "Joker, use Card Draw." Taylor ordered. The water caused by Max's attack began disappearing. "His attack is draining mine!" Max cried out. "Draciel, Final Attack!"

"Royal Flush!" Taylor ordered. His blade glowed again, more powerful because of the absorbed Gravity Control.

The two blades slammed into each other, causing another explosion similar to the one created by Rhea and Roxanne's battle. "Here we go again!" Brad announced, as the dust settled. Both beyblades were still spinning, although Taylor's was more erratic than usual. It span wildly once round the dish before coming to a rest. "No! No, no, no, no, no! I had it! I nearly had it!" Taylor moaned.

"Hehe, unlucky, Taylor." Max smiled, as his own blade stopped spinning. "A few more seconds and you would have won!"

"Next time." Taylor nodded, picking up the Joker beyblade.

"Now, about that attack of yours?" Max asked.

"Hey, a magician never reveals his secrets." Taylor smiled.

"But you're not a magician."

"Am I not? Oh well." Taylor adjusted his hat and walked back to his team bench.

"Hey! Taylor! You owe me one!" Max called out before turning back to the bench.

"What a battle! It was so exciting!" Tyson patted Max on the back.

"It was tough!" Max smiled back.

"Well done, you secured us another victory!" Kenny smiled. "Only one more battle to go. Kai?"

The slate-haired teen got up silently and approached the dish.

"Just look how excited he is." Tyson muttered sarcastically. "The almighty Kai . . ."

"Stop it, Tyson." Hilary huffed.

"Fine, whatever." Tyson folded his arms.

"After that thrilling victory by Max, the team captain Kai is next!" DJ announced.

"It isn't very often we see this world-class blader compete, he prefers to stay unnoticed." Brad introduced.

"So true. It's a shame, Kai is possibly one of, if not the most powerful beyblader I have ever come across. His phoenix bit beast Dranzer is most definitely a force to be reckoned with." AJ added.

"Kai's opponent is Ryan from the Red Blazers Team." DJ introduced, as the spotlight fell on a boy of 16 with green spiked up hair.

"Ryan is also one wicked beyblader; he uses superior tactics rather than brute force to win his beybattles." Brad began.

"His Geckoon bit beast is as clever as they come; this is gonna be one doozy of a match!"

"Bladers get set!" DJ began.

"Good luck Kai." Ryan smiled.

"Thanks, but you'll need it more."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that. . ."

"3 . . . 2 . . . 1 . . . let it rip!"

Both the blue and green blades went straight on the offensive, hoping to catch each other out. "Geckoon lets go!" Ryan summoned, as his green lizard bit beast leapt up. "Solar Blast!" Ryan commanded.

"Avoid the attack, Dranzer." Kai ordered. His phoenix rose from his beyblade, sending the stadium into a red glow.

"Keep attacking, Geckoon!" Ryan ordered, as his bit beast sent blast after blast of energy at Dranzer. The phoenix flew lazily around the dish, avoiding the attacks with ease.

"Camouflage!" Ryan ordered. His beyblade disappeared at his words.

Kai looked around the dish, but couldn't see Ryan's green beyblade.

"You're not attacking. There is no need to be worried." Kai said.

"Think again." Ryan smirked. "Solar Blast!" He ordered. A blast of energy seemingly appeared out of thin air, and struck Kai's Dranzer blade full force. It caught him off guard.

"Of course, I can use 2 attacks at the same time, like Taylor, or Rhea." Ryan smiled.

"Alright, I didn't know that . . . now I do . . ." Kai looked around the dish, looking for any clue as to where Ryan's beyblade was, to no avail.

"Dranzer, fill the entire dish with fire!" Kai ordered. "Blazing Gig!"

The phoenix opened its wings, and sent the fiery feathers to the dish. Eventually, the whole dish was filled with the burning feathers, and Ryan's beyblade was trapped in the centre.

"Hehe . . . now I've got you! Dranzer, attack!" Kai ordered. His blue beyblade tore through the feathers, and headed straight for where Ryan's invisible beyblade was spinning. A mere second before the blades were to collide, Ryan attacked.

"Solar Blast!" Another blast of fiery energy struck Kai's Dranzer blade full on, knocking it back towards the edge of the dish.

"Careful, Kai, don't attack head-on!" Kenny called.

"I know how to beybattle, Kenny, I don't need your help!" Kai snapped.

" . . . sorry, Kai . . ." The Chief muttered.

"Don't worry about it, Chief. It's just Kai being Kai." Ray said to the Chief.

Ryan continued to weaken Kai with Solar Blast attacks, whereas Kai couldn't even get in a single hit. Dranzer was visibly weakening, and the team knew Kai could not last much longer.

"That's another hit from Ryan!" Brad informed.

"How much more of this punishment can Kai take! Dud, I think this battle may be Ryan's!" AJ agreed.

"Come on Kai! Pull yourself together!" Tyson called out to him.

"Stay out of this, Tyson!" Kai called back.

"Man, why does he have to go all distant during a beybattle?" Tyson huffed. "He'd probably win if he let us help him!"

"It's just the way he is." Rhea said quietly.

"I suppose . . ." Tyson sighed. "Just make sure you win, Kai!" He called out again.

Kai turned his head back to the team in an attempt to make them be quiet, and Ryan took the opportunity to attack. "Solar Flare!" He commanded. His green blade glowed a blinding white, and he sent a huge amount of energy towards Kai's blade. The attack blasted Kai's Dranzer blade out of the dish and towards Kai himself.

"Watch out!" The whole team warned Kai. It was too late.

Kai's beyblade sliced through his left shoulder, tearing the fabric, as it shot past at lightning speed. It happened so quickly, Kai didn't feel any pain until a few seconds later. "I'm so sorry Kai! I didn't mean . . ." Ryan apologised.

"Woah! Kai! You alright?" The team rushed forward.

"I'm fine . . ." Kai muttered, gripping his shoulder to stop the blood seeping through. "Just a scratch, it's nothing."

"Nothing? I don't think so!" Tyson snapped at him. "Medic! Injured blader!" He called out in random directions.

"Be quiet Tyson. I'm fine." Kai removed his hand from his shoulder to prove his point, but it just allowed more blood to flow. Hi quickly replaced his hand as 2 medics arrived.

"Come on, now, Kai. We have to get that seen to." They said in gentle voices. Kai simply snorted and made his own way to the infirmary, he hated being talked down to.

"Oh man! What a result!" AJ cried out. "I hope that injury wasn't too serious!"

"Kai's a tough cookie, I'm sure he'll survive!" Brad laughed.

"In all the commotion, we forgot to announce the winner!" AJ gasped. "DJ?"

The host quickly ran up to the beystadium where Ryan's blade was still spinning.

"Ryan takes the 3rd match, but it's too little too late, the Bladebreakers won the first two matches so they move on to the finals." DJ announced. "We'll have a half hour break, this'll allow Kai some recovery time." He finished.

The Bladebreakers team had run all the way to the infirmary after they had been announced the winners. It had been easy to find, as they had simply followed the trail of blood. Upon their arrival they had been shooed away. "Please, go away, the patient needs rest. We will release him once he has been seen to, now go."

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**Phew, okay, that was a very long one, eh? Sorry about that. I won't reply individually to each reviewer after such a long chappie, so I'll simply list all my reviewers I've had since chappie 1 and reply next time.**

**My eternal gratitude to:**

**ksarap, CrimsonSkye06, ChaoticPhoenix27, Rissy-Riss, miffy, plinky (lol), darkanimegirl, Kayu Oriani, moonstone-91, myownworld, Hiei-Touya-icedemon, Kyogue**

**Thank you so much for your support and reviews. Well, keep 'em peeled 4 my next update, buh byeee . . . **


	15. The Mark

**Heart of Darkness**

**Ah, my readers, we meet again. Updating 4 me will be reduced 2 once a week from now on, I'm afraid, so please err . . . well, be patient! So I apologise for that. Anyway, thanks again for all your reviews and comments e.t.c here's the next one. Enjoy!**

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**Chappie 14**

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The Bladebreakers team waited impatiently in their locker room for Kai to return. "What's taking so long?" Tyson moaned, mirroring Kenny's earlier pacing. "He said it was just a scratch! How long would it take to patch it up?" Tyson crossed and uncrossed his arms impatiently, trying to think of something to occupy himself with. The team knew Kai would be fine; it was just the awkward waiting period which made everyone anxious.

"Hey, Kenny, when is Kai supposed to blade?" Hilary asked.

"Second match. After Rhea. Tyson's third." The Chief answered her question, and the one that would undoubtedly follow next, and the one that would follow that. Hilary sat down on a chair, and nervously fiddled with her hair, unable to think of anything else to say.

"Look guys, this waiting won't achieve anything." Rhea said as she stood up. "I'll go on my own; maybe they'll let me see him."

"But you're first in the finals. If you're late, we –" The Chief began.

"I'll be quick, don't worry." She said, leaving the room.

Rhea quickly replaced the team's steps, and soon found herself heading for the stands. Although she fully intended to see Kai, she couldn't resist having a quick search for the two people that had been watching her from the stands. Now they knew she was aware of them, she hardly expected they'd hang around, but there was no harm in hoping.

She entered the stadium from the stands top level, where the team had observed the preliminaries, in order to get a better view. Her eyes quickly flickered across the crowds, jumping from person to person in a heartbeat. As she silphed through the individuals, Rhea froze. There they were, coming up the stairs towards her! Rhea instinctively turned round, and waited out of sight behind the pillar that flanked the top of the stairs.

A few spectators walked past, barely even noticing her, but of course, they didn't.

"Rhea, we were hoping to speak with you." The one with the lavender eyes smirked, knowing where she was 'hiding.' His voice was course and bitter, full of hatred. "Bryan." She greeted.

"I see you're not doing too badly." He mused.

"The beybladers in this tournament are weak." She said.

"I didn't mean in the tournament." He grinned.

"I knew it." Rhea sighed.

"Ian and I have been watching you for some time now." He gestured to the short boy standing next to him.

"Since when do you spy?" She snorted.

"Since we've been asked." Ian voiced, speaking for the first time.

"I'm doing fine, really." She said, lying through her teeth.

"Hehe, sure you are." Bryan smirked. The only other thing he seemed to enjoy other than showing off his brutality, was seeing another person fail or suffer. Rhea could see the pure malice in his eyes as he snickered.

"You two stay away; you'll get in my way." Rhea snapped, regaining her confidence.

"Don't you worry about that, Ian and I were leaving anyway."

"I hope we don't have to meet again." Ian smirked.

"And just what do you mean by that?" Rhea asked, hearing the hidden threat in the undertone of his voice.

"Consider this a warning." Bryan laughed, heading out of the stands.

"We expect results." Ian added, following Bryan.

Rhea stood there, watching them go, in disbelief. "You'll get them . . ." She muttered to herself, leaving the stadium and headed for the infirmary.

The red crossed door was slightly ajar, so Rhea guessed 'visitors' were allowed in. She stepped boldly into the sterilised room and instantly regretted it. Kai was sitting on a chair on the other side of the room, his back facing Rhea and the door. His jacket, shirt and scarf lay on the table next to him, as he was awkwardly wrapping a bandage around his upper arm and shoulder, obviously having refused to let a medic do the job for him. Rhea blinked uncertainly, taking in the Russian's well-built torso. She quickly shook her head, how could she think that way? Especially after her conversation with Bryan and Ian! She stood stupidly in the doorway for a second longer, before hastily retreating back outside, blushing and embarrassed that she had seen him in such a position. As she held her breath, the seconds ticked by and there seemed to be no movement from inside. Although she hadn't looked at him for more than a few seconds, she knew it had been far too long, and Kai's acute senses would be all too aware of her presence.

Just before she made any move, she remembered. As she had looked into the room, there had been something on Kai's back she had seen only for a split-second. It was black . . . yes . . . it couldn't be a scar . . . it was some sort of mark . . . a tattoo, maybe? Kai wouldn't have a tattoo, would he? No! Well at least she had something to bargain with now . . .

Rhea waited beside the door for what she assumed was ample time for Kai to put his shirt and jacket back on.

She held her breath as she walked calmly and confidently into the infirmary.

"What are you doing here?" Kai asked, fully clothed, completely oblivious to the fact that she had just seen him about a minute before.

"How's your shoulder?" Rhea asked, equally blunt.

"Like I said, it was just a scratch." He shrugged.

"It looked painful."

"It's nothing. I mean compared with . . ." He broke off suddenly, mentally cursing himself for being so careless with his words. '_Damn! I shouldn't have been so relaxed . . ._'

"Compared with . . . the abbey?" She asked. Kai remained silent; he didn't even nod an acknowledgment.

Rhea looked at him uncertainly, and without realising it, she soon became lost I his crimson orbs, searching for answers to unasked questions.

The familiar voice on the speakers broke the trance. Rhea nervously rubbed her eyes as she headed for the door to the infirmary. ". . . Come on Kai, I'm blading first, you're after me." She muttered. "The others will be waiting . . . let's go . . ."

They walked to the stadium in relative silence, both unsure whether or not they had 'shared a moment,' both unwilling to start the conversation.

"Perfect timing you guys! How are you, Kai?" Tyson asked. He received the usual 'hmph' in reply. "Oh great, Kai's back in top form, everyone." Tyson sighed, adjusting his cap.

"Welcome beyblade fans to the finals of this charity tournament!" DJ stepped out, snapping the team's thought's back into focus. "We've seen some mind-blowing beybattles so far, we can only hope it gets better from here on in!" He laughed. "So without further ado, let's meet the two competing teams! Taking this first of 3 matches for team Bladebreakers, it's their newest member, Rhea!"

She stood up, now used to the familiar roar of approval from the crowd, her confidence raised now she knew it was short 2 Russian bladers.

"Ah yes, Rhea. This'll be her third and final match during this tournament, she's won her previous beybattles, can she make this a perfect score?" Brad announced.

"Well I wouldn't put it past her. From what I've seen she's got some major skills!" AJ agreed.

Rhea stepped up to the dish, and waited for her opponent.

"Now, the spinning for The Torpedoes it's Michelle!" Jazzman announced.

A girl with waist long red hair (**I mean red, not ginger!**) made her way up to the dish and stood opposite Rhea.

"Good luck, Rhea! I'll go easy on ya!" She smiled.

"Don't flatter yourself." Rhea snapped. She was not in the mood for idle banter.

"Michelle also is new to the Torpedoes Blading team." Brad informed the crowd.

"But from what we've seen of her in the tournament so far, she favours speed and rapid attacks over brute strength or endurance." AJ added.

"Her wasp bit beast Petro is one tricky customer, speed rivalling Driger, I'd say!" Brad announced.

"Totally, Brad. Brace yourselves!" AJ laughed.

"Bladers get ready!" DJ said, as both girls loaded their beyblades and aimed them at the dish. "3 . . . 2 . . . 1 . . . Let it rip!"

Rhea smiled when she heard Michelle liked to end things quickly, it meant the sooner the battle was over, the sooner she could gather her thoughts. "Kraken, attack!" She ordered. Her white blade slammed into Michelle's yellow one in a powerful attack, but it couldn't penetrate her defence. "Attack again!" Rhea re-ordered. Her blade attacked continuously, forcing Michelle's blade around the dish, but not doing enough real damage.

"You'll have to summon Kraken and use a more powerful attack, Rhea!" She heard Kenny call out from somewhere behind her. He had a point, she admitted, but she didn't want to summon Kraken until Michelle had called out her own bit beast. She didn't have to wait long.

"Petro, Sting Shot!" Michelle ordered. Her bitchip glowed bright yellow as Petro emerged. "Kraken!" Rhea ordered.

Although her dragon was much bigger, she knew not to get overconfident, or underestimate Michelle. "Avoid her attack, Kraken!" Rhea commanded, as Petro headed for her dragon.

The two blades collided over and over, causing more and more explosions.

'_I've had enough of this . . ._' Rhea thought to herself. "Heaven's Cataract."

"Put on your extra sweater, you're gonna need it now!" Brad joked.

Within seconds the dish had been frozen, the air was thick with snow and ice, and Michelle's beyblade had been frozen solid.

"That's it Rhea! . . . a . . . a . . . achoo!" Tyson sneezed, sniffing loudly.

"Gesundheit." Hilary shivered, also sniffing. "Is it just me, or is the Heaven's Cataract colder than before?" She asked.

"Yup . . ." Kenny shivered. "It's gotten . . . more powerful . . . and more . . . cold . . ." Kenny nodded, trying to clear his laptop screen of ice.

"Yo, Rhea, end it quickly or we'll freeze to death!" Tyson called out.

"Hehe, sorry Tyson. I don't really notice the cold." Rhea smiled. "You heard him Kraken, end it now!"

"Petro!" Michelle desperately cried out, "Rapid Sting!" The wasp attacked its icy prison, and managed to un-freeze itself. "Keep attacking!" Michelle continued. Petro headed straight for Kraken.

"Final Attack!" Both bladers called out.

"I think this is gonna be a big one!" AJ cried out, bracing himself for the explosion. Sure enough, the impact caused the ice to shatter as they beyblades collided with each other one final time. The resulting explosion caused both girls to fall to their knees as shards of ice and bits of stadium floor were thrown around.

"Man, Rhea seems to love ending a beybattle with an explosion!" AJ laughed.

"True, but I can't say I'm disappointed. In love a good explosion!" Brad laughed alongside his co-host.

As the dust cleared, DJ Jazzman approached the beystadium. Sure enough, both beyblades stopped spinning together. "A tie!" He called out. "No doubt about it, folks, Rhea and Michelle's battle has ended in a draw!"

Rhea claimed her beyblade from the dish angrily. '_A tie! I never tie!_' She screamed at herself.

"Well fought." Michelle said, a similar look of disappointment on her face.

"You too." Rhea shrugged, walking back to the team bench.

"Tch. Fine." Michelle folded her arms, and returned to The Torpedoes team bench.

"I'm sorry, guys." Rhea sighed.

"Don't worry about it, Rhea, it's only a tie." Ray comforted.

"I know, but I should have won." She muttered.

"At least you didn't lose. I thought you had her!" Hilary smiled.

" . . . thanks." Rhea forced a weak smile before sitting down.

After the staff had cleared most of the debris scattered around the stadium floor, DJ started the second match.

"Will the two representatives please approach the dish for the second match."

"Kai, you're up." Tyson said.

"Yeah . . ." The slate-haired teen slowly walked up to the dish, his arms still folded, and a bored look on his face. Tyson tutted in an annoyed way. "Thinks he's so high and mighty . . ." He muttered under his breath.

"Look's like Kai has recovered from his earlier injury." Brad announced.

"True, but will he be back in top form?" AJ asked.

"If Dranzer is primed then I don't think Kai will have a problem." Brad finished.

"Kai's opponent in this second match is Jason." The Jazz introduced.

A boy with light brown hair and a pale complexion stepped forward, a determined look on his face. He held his small white beyblade in his left hand, fingering it nervously.

"Jason is another relative newbie, although he's been seen here and there." AJ began.

"He tends to surprise his opponents with last minute attacks, or sudden bursts of speed, I wonder which tactic he'll use to battle Kai?" Brad informed the crowd.

"Jason's bit beast is Basille, a Basilisk." AJ added. (**Don't think of the one from HP, think of the ones from FFX and FFX-2**)

"Are you ready to get this game underway?" DJ called out to both the crowd and the beybladers. Kai and Jason both nodded, and loaded their beyblades.

"Get set! 3 . . . 2 . . . 1 . . . Let it . . . rip!"

Kai's launch was much weaker than usual; the nagging pain in his shoulder was the cause. Jason noted how weak his beyblade was, and decided to take full advantage of the situation. "Basille, Stone Blade Attack!" He commanded.

His beyblade lit up as Basille emerged. The creature attacked Kai's Dranzer blade with such ferocity, it forced the phoenix out. "Come on Dranzer!" Kai called out to it.

The phoenix countered Basille's attacks whenever it could, but Dranzer mirrored his master's weakness, and couldn't attack with full strength.

"It looks like Kai is weakening, folks!" Brad announced.

"No . . . I'm not weak . . . Dranzer! Blazing Gig Tempest!" Kai ordered.

The phoenix shot feather after feather after feather at the Basilisk. Although some found their mark, Basille managed to deflect most of them.

"Stone Blade!" Jason called out again. His Basilisk headed straight for Dranzer in another attack, as below the beyblades continued to chase one another.

Jason's attack collided with Dranzer, sending Kai's blue beyblade spinning out of control. "Keep it together Dranzer . . ." Kai whispered. His blade managed to right itself, although it was spinning far far slower than normal. "Counterattack!" Kai ordered.

"Final Attack!" Jason ordered. Both beyblades attacked each other with renewed ferocity.

They collided and scraped, causing sparks and smoke to form above the dish. After one headlong collision, both beyblades were thrown back where they waited, gathering their last remaining bits of energy.

"Looks like Kai and Jason are preparing for one final all-or-nothing attack!" DJ called out, eyes wild with excitement.

"Now Dranzer! End it!" Kai ordered.

"Basille!" Jason mirrored.

"Here we go again!" Brad laughed, as both beyblades collided, causing another earth-shattering explosion almost double the size Rhea and Michelle's attacks had caused.

After the dust had cleared, both beyblades were still locked together, fighting for superiority.

"Man! After all that we still don't have a clear winner!" DJ yelled. "Folks, it doesn't get any more intense than this!" He continued raging at the top of his lungs.

"You can do it Kai!" Hilary called out.

"Yeah, Hilary's right!" Ray agreed.

"We're rooting for ya Kai!" Max added.

"I can do this without your help!" Kai called back, irritated.

"I told you guys you shouldn't have." Tyson smirked, folding his arms. "He doesn't _need_ our help."

"Yes he does, everyone needs help, Tyson!" Hilary argued. "He just doesn't want it, that's all."

"Well as long as he wins." Tyson sighed.

"Looks like Jason is beginning to give way!" DJ announced. That statement grabbed Tyson's attention.

The white and blue beyblades generated more and more sparks from the friction, before Jason pulled away. "Basille! Attack!" He tried again. This collision caused another, smaller, explosion.

"These two won't let up!" Brad called out.

"They're running on empty though, it's a game of stamina now." AJ explained.

"Dranzer . . ." Kai yelled. His phoenix locked claws with the Basilisk one final time, before giving in. Neither Dranzer nor Kai had any energy left. Kai's beyblade span away from Jason's. As Kai's blade moved away, though, Jason's too began to stop spinning. Both blades eventually came to a stop at the same time.

"Who'd have guessed it?" DJ called out. "Another tie! It all rests on the final match!"

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**And that's it for this chapter . . .**

**By the way, I apologise if someone else has used the blading team The Torpedoes, if they have, tell me and I'll change the team name, I just wrote the name down at random. Anyway, I said I'd reply to my reviewers, so:**

SweetMystery: **Thank you for reviewing my fic! This chappie is long too, I think most of them from here till the end will be about this length! Thanks for saying it's exciting! I try my best! Lol! I appreciate your review, thanks! Keep reviewing!**

CrimsonSkye06: **Kai survived, a scratch wouldn't hurt him! I only just realised I'd made that error with your username! Never mind!**

secretselphie-tilmitt: **Oops, I could've sworn it was Aeris! Write more of your poem/riddles, they're good! Thanks for reviewing! There'll be around 20 more chappies.**

Kyogue: **Thanks for reviewing, I'm glad you liked it, keep 'em peeled for my next update. (If not 2morrow it'll be next week)**

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	16. Final Match

**Heart of Darkness**

**REPOSTED CHAPPIE**

**Yay! I managed 2 get on the computer! So I decided to use this time wisely and update for my (very few ;;) loyal reviewers out there! Here ya go! (By the way, I'm trying to stuff some humour into this fic, so brace yourselves!)**

**Chappie 15**

"A tie! Can you believe it?" Brad called out.

"Now the entire tournament rests on Tyson's shoulders! What pressure!" AJ added. "Can you even begin to imagine what he's thinking right now?"

"I'm hungry." Tyson moaned. The team sweatdropped and fell over in typical anime-style.

"Oh you would be!" Hilary half-laughed, half-snapped at him. "Tyson, you can be such a plank sometimes!"

"I can't help it! I'm about to have a major beybattle here, some pre-match food would be nice!" He drooled.

"Eeew! Tyson!" Hilary backed away from him, disgust evident on face.

"Come on Tyson, this is serious!" Kenny shouted at him.

"Alright guys, chill! Sheesh! Ya don't have to get so worked up. You're forgetting I'm 2-time World Champion!" Tyson puffed his chest out hero-style.

"C'mon Tyson." Ray voiced. "We all know about your . . . title, but you've gotta focus, dude."

"Ray's right. This all depends on you now." Rhea agreed.

"Yeah, so no pressure!" Max laughed.

"I know, I know." Tyson laughed.

"Don't get overconfident or you could mess up." Max told him.

"Don't worry; it'll be a piece of cake!" Tyson headed for the dish, drooling at the mental image created by his last sentence. "No way I can lose!" He was repeating to himself.

"He has to make such an exhibition of himself." Hilary sighed, burying her face in her hands.

"You've never said a truer word, Hilary." Kai smirked. "Tyson needs little or no encouragement at the best of times. Let's hope he doesn't screw up now."

The team looked back at Tyson, who was standing by the beystadium, puffing himself up and waving at the fans. Their hearts sank a few notches.

"Tyson's opponent is Nigel from the Torpedoes Blading team." DJ announced. Tyson temporarily stopped waving, and cast his eyes at his competition. The boy was 16, and had quite tanned skin with black hair and piercing grey-green eyes. His beyblade was black, the bitchip just visible to Tyson, it seemed to be glowing purple.

"Ooh, Nigel is one tough cookie." AJ introduced. "He recently put together the Torpedoes team, and he's as strong as they come."

"That's right, AJ. Nigel is a rock solid blader who overwhelms his opponents with a barrage of attacks, and he's been known to change his tactics to take advantage of pretty much any situation. Could he be the one to beat Tyson?" Brad finished.

The two boys stood opposite each other, glaring.

"Just so you know, I am gonna win this tournament, Tyson." Nigel smiled, his eyes narrowing.

"Yeah right. Dream on, pal." Tyson snorted, loading his Dragoon blade into its launcher.

"Nigel's bit beast is simply known as the Chimera **(again, think FFX/X-2)**, and he only summons it when he has to!" AJ continued. "I think Nigel's chances are pretty good!"

"Well Tyson is no slouch when it comes to these competitions, look at his record!" Brad said. "Tyson's been known to pull off many a miraculous last-minute victory. Nigel will have his work cut out for him facing a beyblader of Tyson's talents!"

Both announcers fell silent as DJ raised his hand to begin the beybattle. "Are you ready?" He called out both to the beybladers and the crowd. Tyson and Nigel nodded to signal that they were.

"Remember Tyson, don't try to end it quickly, wait for him to attack you then you can dodge and counterattack." Kenny called out advice from the team bench. Tyson turned round and gave his team a quick thumbs up to show he understood. They all had varying degrees of anxiety on their faces, even Kai, although he was hiding it well.

"3 . . . 2 . . . 1 . . ." DJ's countdown snapped Tyson's attention back to the dish. " . . . Let it rip!" DJ and the audience cried out.

"Alright Dragoon!" Tyson cheered on his bit beast.

"And this final match is underway!" AJ yelled out above the roar of the fans.

"Who knows how this battle will play out! It seems both players aren't in any rush to kick things off." Brad informed them all.

"Come on Tyson, you can do it!" Hilary called to him.

Tyson heard her call, but kept his eyes on Nigel, who was staring right back at him.

"What is this, a glaring contest?" Tyson muttered, breaking the silence.

"If you want it to be." Nigel shrugged, licking his lips.

Tyson turned his attention back on his beyblade, which was circling the dish. Nigel's black blade was also 'doing laps.' "Chimera, attack!" Nigel ordered, deciding to make the first move.

The black beyblade broke instantly out of its 'lapping' and collided head on with the white blade, causing massive amounts of sparks. Even though Nigel's attack had only been one quick hit, Dragoon had been thrown back with so much force it chipped the side of the beystadium when it landed. Tyson, however, wasn't put off. "Dragoon, show him what a real attack is!" He laughed.

The bitchip glowed bright blue as the beyblade did a quick lap of the dish before slamming straight into the Chimera blade, causing more sparks to fly. "Chimera!" Nigel summoned his own bit beast.

"Looks like Nigel is gonna have to use Chimera in order to counter the world champion's dragon!" DJ yelled, knowing from experience that this was going to be a huge battle from now on.

The white and black beyblades were soon right back on the offensive, smashing into each other with such ferocity and force unlike anything seen in the tournament so far. The dust storms and high winds created by the onslaught was beginning to shake the entire arena, as the beydish began to crumble. The sheer power of the bit beasts was mind-boggling. The crowd watched in awe as the two creatures slashed at one another, tearing and clawing, looking to take control of the battle.

"Come on Dragoon! Keep attacking! Don't let him push you around!" Tyson shouted to his bit beast. Dragoon responded with another roar as he lunged forward in another frenzy of attacks. "Chimera!" Nigel mirrored, his own creature fighting back with a determination rivalling Tyson's own mindset.

The next onslaught of attacks shook the stadium as small bits of ceiling fell to the floor, narrowly avoiding the beydish.

"Look out below! We've got the roof falling down on our heads!" Brad yelled, half joking, but slightly scared at the same time.

"Even the falling ceiling isn't gonna stop these two bladers!" AJ laughed, as Tyson and Nigel continued their relentless attacks.

After more collisions, the beyblades finally broke apart, their masters panting slightly.

"Good warm-up. Ready for the real thing?" Nigel snickered.

"Warm-up . . ?" Tyson gasped, before his confidence returned. "Hehe . . . bring it!"

"Trigger Assault!" Nigel roared. His Chimera clenched its claw-like fists before charging with amazing speed at the waiting Dragoon. With one quick swipe, the creature had slashed Dragoon, causing him to cry out in pain. Below, Tyson felt his bit beast's hurt, and tried to brace himself against it. After a few seconds, the worst of it had past. "That it?" He teased. "Not very impressive!" Tyson wiped away the fleck of blood trickling from his ear, before re-ordering another attack.

"DRAGOON!" He yelled at the top of his lungs. The blue dragon also cast away the aching pain in its side and neck, and then leapt forward to greet the Chimera. On their contact, a huge amount of smoke flew around the battle in all directions, causing the fans in the very front seats to temporarily lose sight of the battle. All that could be heard were the collisions of the beyblades, and the rancid stench of burning plastic and metal.

Nigel smirked at the impact, clearly enjoying the battle. '_You're an amazing blader, Tyson. I'll give you that . . . but can you last against my Chimera?_'

"Ultima Strike, now!" He ordered.

"Ultima Strike?" Tyson mused quickly, before ordering Dragoonto evade another normal attack from the black beyblade.

"Watch out Tyson! Nigel's bit beast is gathering a lot of energy!" Kenny called out to Tyson, struggling to read his laptop's screen because of the dust and smoke caused by all the collisions.

"Sure Chief." Tyson called back. "Dragoon, come on!"

The dragon rushed forward again, only to be slammed to the ground by the 3-headed beast, which amply struck the downed Dragoon. Dragoon, stunned by the deflection, took the full brunt of Chimera's attacking, as below the black beyblade began to take dominance over the match.

Small cuts and bruises appeared on Tyson's face and body as he too felt the pain of his bit beast. "C'mon Dragoon! Fight . . . back!" Tyson screamed.

Dragoon forced himself up, clearly weakened, but nowhere near giving up. It faced Chimera's rush and the two bit beasts locked claws with each other, each trying to push the other to the ground.

"Man, oh man, what a battle!" DJ called out.

"Those two seem so evenly matched; it's too early in the game to say who'll win!" Brad yelled.

"Chimera! Come on! Push it to the ground!" Nigel ordered, his voice tinged with anger and urgency.

"Dragoon!" Tyson too called out to his bit beast, giving him as much encouragement as he could.

As the two creatures struggled, large parts of the beydish began to crumble away, simply unable to cope with the beyblader's massive attacks.

Wave after wave of energy seemed to eminate from the creatures, causing vicious winds to circle around the arena, blowing the dust and small chunks of debris into the crowds.

"Dude, this is getting' dangerous!" AJ called out.

"Not for us, we're nice and cushy up here!" Brad laughed. "Look out below!" He warned light-heartedly to the crowd.

"Come on Tyson! You can do this! Don't give up now!" The whole Bladebreakers team (minus Kai) cheered on their most reckless member, as on the other side of the stadium, The Torpedoes egged on Nigel.

"Now, Chimera!" Nigel called out.

"Final attack!" Both beybladers called out, causing their bit beasts to push against each other with renewed force. Eventually, Chimera broke away.

Below, Tyson's beyblade slammed violently against Nigel's, forcing it further and further away.

"Now Tyson!" Kenny called. "You've got momentum!"

Tyson didn't need telling twice.

"EVOLUTION STORM!" He bellowed.

Dragoon mustered together his last reserves of energy and caused the huge twin tornadoes to arise and attack Chimera. The winds rose and headed towards the beast, sending, if possible, even more debris around the stadium.

"Brace yourself!" Nigel ordered, as his bit beast took up a defensive stance in preparation for Tyson's attack.

When it collided, the attack was simply too much for the creature to handle, and it retreated back into its beyblade. Nigel's blade was thrown from the dish where it landed with a metallic thud on the semi-destroyed arena floor.

Tyson's Dragoon blade did another lap of victory, leaving a trail of destruction, before returning to Tyson's hand.

Tyson sank to his knees, panting with extreme fatigue. "Boy, I need to build up my stamina reserves!" He laughed to himself as the Bladebreakers team ran up to him.

Tyson struggled to get to his feet as they approached him. "Way to go, dude!" Ray slapped him on the back, sending him back to the floor again. "Hehe, sorry!" The neko-jin smiled.

"What a finish, Tyson! It was so totally awesome!" Max cried, doing his own little 'victory-dance.'

Tyson simply grinned his usual grin as he managed to stand up straight.

"You did it, Tyson! You won! You won!" Hilary cried out, giving him a huge hug. He broke away, blushing a little, before he looked over to Nigel.

"Wicked match, Nige!" He smiled. "Too bad you lost!" Tyson laughed jokingly.

"Daresay we'll survive the disappointment." Nigel shrugged, smiling. "I'll beat you one day, Tyson." He nodded his head in respect.

"I'll be waiting for that day." Tyson nodded back, showing his serious side for a moment, before turning back to the others. "Oh man, now I'm _really_ hungry!" He rubbed his stomach.

"That's the final match done! Can no-one dethrone the World Champions?" DJ called out amongst the cheering. It had been literally no-stop during the entire match.

"What a beybattle! I can't remember the last time I'd seen something so exiting!" Brad cheered.

"Yeah, well played, Bladebreakers!" AJ added. "A world-class performance by the Bladebreakers, the Torpedoes, and all the other teams that made it in this competition!"

As the Bladebreakers team waved to all the fans in the stands in victory, DJ spoke again. "Just before you go, Bladebreakers, we have a little exhibition match for you!"

"What? Exhibition match? With who?" Ray asked looking around. The Torpedoes team had already left the stadium, leaving the Bladebreakers as the only bladers present.

His question was soon answered as the beyblader in question entered the stadium floor.

"Wait . . . but you're . . ." Tyson gasped.

**There we go! Haha! My next target is 50 reviews by chappie 20, only 15 more reviews 2 go! Please help me reach the target! (Well, less than that now, but my mathematical abilities are non-existent, so I won't calculate how many I have 2 go at present, sorry!)**

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**Now, as you may well have guessed, I have reposted this chappie, firstly because I wanted to edit one or two bits of the final match. (Little things like that bug me!) And second, I wanted to reply 2 my reviewers because I didn't when I originally updated this chappie, so here goes:**

**AWWW MAN! THIS /insert various unpleasant curses/ THING WILL NOT LET ME LOOK AT MY REVIEWS SO I CANNOT REPLY 2 U! AAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH! ****/screams and throws computer out of window/ . . . ... .oops, no insurance . . . /runs outside, brings computer back in, wraps duct tape round broken parts of it, reboots whole system, uploads this chappie/**

'**Ahem' sorry for the previous outburst, it just REALLY ticks me off when this compy doesn't work.**

**Phew, I'll be updating tomorrow, and I will reply to you all then, if I haven't frightened you away. /smiles sweetly:)**

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	17. Lunch ?

**Heart of Darkness**

**Hiyo one and all, welcome 2 my next (rather short) chappie, although I do not think that the 'result of the cliffie' will be as impressive as people hoped . . . **

**Just before I get on with it, no doubt ur sick n tired of my incessant babbling, I have 2 tell u all this: During me typing up me chappies, about half-way through the tournament, I lost my notes, and instead of being sensible and finding them, I decided 2 wing it. I've since found them, and realised I've made err . . . a slight mix up with a few characters, so the next few chappies may be a bit confusing, and I apologize 4 that, I'd repost all the 'wrong' chappies, but that would probably add 2 the confusion. So, what I'm saying is: if at some point while reading, you think 'what on earth?' just remember this forewarning and 'just go with it,' kinda thing. Thanx 4 ur patience, now I will shut up and give you the next chappie. Enjoy.**

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**Chappie 16**

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The Bladebreakers team stared at the blader as he walked onto the slightly demolished stadium floor.

"It's been so long!" Tyson smiled, as he recognized the green haired boy. "How ya been, Oliver?"

The French blader smiled warmly back. "You've made quite the mess in here, haven't you, Tyson?" He laughed, casting his gaze on the chunks of ceiling and other various bits and pieces of debris scattered about the stadium.

"Hey, it wasn't all me!" Tyson moaned, as the team walked forward to meet the French champion.

"What brings you here, Oliver?" Ray asked.

"Just what the announcers said: we're to have an exhibition match." Oliver replied, as the staff once again began to fix the mess.

"Is the whole Majestics team here?" Max asked.

"No, we still haven't been able to work out our schedule differences." He shrugged.

"What differences?" Tyson laughed. "All you do is play chess and watch your suits of armour gather dust!"

"Well I suppose to you it doesn't seem like we do much, but it's quite complicated actually." Oliver tried to explain. "You see, Johnny has to play his round of golf in the morning, when that's done, Robert has his daily chess tournament, while I have to give cooking lessons, Enrique is usually on a date, then Johnny has tennis, and –"

"Okay, okay, we get the picture, you're busy!" Tyson gasped, holding up his hands in a defensive stance.

"But I had a free day, so when Mr. Dickenson contacted me, I couldn't refuse." Oliver finished.

"Ladies and gentlemen, bladers of all ages," DJ stopped their conversation. "We have a special guest-appearance! All the way from France, and part of the Champion European beyblading team: The Majestics, its Oliver!"

Right on cue, Oliver waved as the crowd went wild. Tyson watched them cheer while the faintest traces of jealousy flitted across his face. "Popular, aren't you?" He said.

"Of course!" Oliver replied in his typical not-meaning-to-be-arrogant manner.

"Hey, hey, hey! Don't forget about me!" Tyson rushed forward, waving both his arms out frantically. "2-time World Champ, here!" Everyone, save Tyson, sweatdropped.

Hilary turned to Rhea again; as the two had become quite close friends in the short time they had known one another. "Who is he?" She asked.

"French champion. Beyblades by day cooks by night. That's all I know." Rhea answered.

As if hearing their thoughts, Oliver turned towards the two girls. "Ah, Mademoiselles, I do not think we have had the pleasure of meeting before now." Oliver took their hands and kissed them softly, bowing his head, leaving both slightly giggly, Hilary blushing more than Rhea.

"Oh . . . the pleasure is ours!" Hilary giggled.

"Alright, when is our match?" Tyson coughed loudly, trying to get Oliver's attention away from Hilary. When he didn't move, Tyson barged right between the French boy and the two girls. He put an arm round Oliver's shoulder and dragged him towards the beystadium. "C'mon, let's spin!" He shouted, trying to drown out the laughter of the girls and the rest of the team.

"Oh, not yet, Tyson." Oliver smiled, completely unaware of Tyson's 'protectiveness' towards Hilary. "The beydish is ruined; we'll have to wait a while until they fix it up."

"Err . . . right, yeah . . . lets head back to the food court, eh?" Tyson suggested.

"Alright." Oliver agreed.

"Maybe you could whip up a nice lunch; the stadium food isn't the best."

"Didn't seem to bother him before . . ." Max laughed.

"Tyson!" Hilary snapped. "He just arrived; he's not going to cook for you!"

"No harm in hoping . . ." Tyson muttered.

"I will see what I can do!" Oliver smiled, as he followed Tyson and the rest of the team towards the food court.

* * *

After a short 15 minute wait, Oliver had prepared a small, light lunch. "It's not my greatest achievement, I'm sorry, but the kitchens had few ingredients I could work with." Oliver sighed as he sat down to join them.

"It's delicious!" Hilary smiled. "Thank you very much! You really didn't have to."

"Oh no, I love to cook!" Oliver replied.

"Kai, don't you like it?" He asked the Bladebreaker's team captain, who was simply sitting there with his arms folded, his plate of food untouched.

"Why did you come here, Oliver?" Kai asked, ignoring Oliver's question.

"For the match, of course." The French boy replied, slightly taken back.

"Really? Seems a bit out of the way, doesn't it? You came here all the way from France just for a little exhibition match?" Oliver remained silent. "That's what I thought. Come on. Why don't you tell us why you're _really_ here." Kai pressed.

"Nothing gets by you, does it, Kai?" Oliver laughed.

"Not much, no." Kai smirked.

"Well, in truth, I did come here to battle, to see how much you've improved in the last year, but also, Mr Dickenson asked me to."

"He did? How come?" Ray asked.

"No idea. He just told me to stay in town for a little while, and that other beybladers from other teams would be coming as well. I think he's planning a blader reunion." Oliver explained.

"Sounds like just the thing Mr. D would do." Max agreed. "If it's true, and other beybladers are coming . . . man! I can't wait!" He smiled. The whole team (minus Rhea and Oliver) knew he was thinking about a certain blue-haired girl.

"So when will this reunion happen?" Kenny asked.

"Who knows?" Oliver shrugged. "Until all the teams arrive I suppose."

This sparked a huge conversation and reminiscence of old bladers they all knew from the past, and how good it would be to catch-up again. Not to mention half a dozen re-matches or so, all in all, their mood was light and carefree, until the all-too familiar voice on the speakers grabbed their attention.

"Will the Bladebreakers team and our guest, Oliver, please approach the stadium floor for the exhibition match. Will the-"

"Looks like we're up." Ray smiled, getting up.

"Hang on, who's gonna blade against Oliver?" Hilary asked.

"Err . . . I dunno . . . umm . . ." Tyson muttered, willing his brain to think.

"Don't worry about me. I've no interest in battling Oliver." Kai answered.

"Okay, that's one down." Hilary said.

"We'll decide when we get there." Oliver suggested. The team nodded, and continued on their way to the stadium.

* * *

Upon their arrival, they were greeted by the roar of the crowd. "Wow! Look at the stadium! It looks brand new!" Kenny gasped.

"They must've worked overtime to get it looking this good in half an hour!" Rhea agreed.

"Tell me about it!" Tyson muttered, staring at the almost shining red beydish. "So who's up, Chief?" Tyson asked, as the computer genius opened his laptop to analyse each beyblader's stats.

As Kenny answered Tyson's question, the voices of Brad Best and AJ Topper rang down again.

"Welcome back one and all!" Brad began. "The Bladebreakers are tournament champions, but we have one last surprise for you all!"

"That's right, Brad, we have a guest appearance all the way from France!" AJ added.

"Oliver is truly an amazing beyblader, but he prefers to keep a low profile, I've only ever seen him compete in one other tournament, and that was in a private stadium!"

"True. I heard the chairman of the BBA, Mr. Dickenson himself, had to contact him in order for this boy to be here today!" Brad informed the crowd.

"And now his stats." AJ said, as they appeared on the giant TV screens. "Oliver is a solid blader who believes in the beauty and grace of the sport more than the power." AJ said.

"That's right, he has complete control of his unicorn bit-beast Unicolyon."

"Unicolyon is truly awe-inspiring, but deadly. Many bladers have fallen prey to its horn, who from the Bladebreaker's team will step forward to challenge it?" Brad asked, as Oliver walked round to the other side of the beystadium.

Although Oliver had been seen to battle while clad in armour, this time, he favoured his normal launcher and rip-cord. "Ready?" He called over to the Bladebreaker's team bench. They all nodded, as Oliver's challenger stepped forward, and approached the dish . . .

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**There we go! End of chappie! If you could lemme know in a review who you want Oliver to battle (and the out-come, lol!) I'd be grateful. I don't mind who battles, or who wins, as it has no . . . further impact on the main story! Don't 4get to R&R, if u do, I will reply 2 u, and R&R any and all of your fics (try 2, anyway), and reply 2 ur reviews in mine, like the following:**

Kyogue: **Thanx 4 reviewing, I will try 2 update faster, I'm glad u like it, and keep reviewing!**

CrimsonSkye06: **Will try 2 update sooner, thanks, as always, for reviewing, I really appreciate it!**

SweetMystery: **I hope u liked the final match, I tried! Lol! I'm trying 2 make the chappies nice and long, they're usually about 6 or 7 pages on my Word. Thanx for liking and reviewing my fic, I'll continue 2 do so for u!**

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Kyogue: **Was that a cliffie? Anyway, I hope u liked the . . . 'result,' keep reviewing, thank you!**

SweetMystery: **I'm glad u liked it, like I said, I tried! Keep reviewing!**

brezzybrez:** Yay! A new reviewer! Yay! Hopefully I will keep ur interest! As long as u keep reviewing!**

**There, i replied! Please review, and tell me who you want 2 battle Oliver, and who you want 2 win, otherwise i'll just go 'eenie-meenie-miny-mo . . .'**


	18. Exhibition

**Heart of Darkness**

**Hello one and all once again to this fanfic! Normally I type, but . . . I won't! Hehe, I'll just get straight on with the chappie! Enjoy!**

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**Chappie 17**

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Oliver looked at his opponent as he made his way to the dish.

"Looks like the Bladebreakers are sending Ray to spin against Oliver." Brad announced.

"I can understand why, these two have unfinished business since the Olympia Challenge!" AJ added, his excitement already starting to rise.

"It's only an exhibition match, so take it easy, Ray!" Kenny called out to the raven-haired teen as he loaded his Driger Blade.

"I know! Don't worry!" Ray smiled back.

"Ray's played well in the tournament, winning both his matches; can he take the French Champion in this exhibition?" AJ informed the stadium.

"Well Ray's bit beast Driger can certainly hold his own; this should be an interesting match!" Brad added as Ray's stats replaced Oliver's on the screens.

"Ready to finish where we left off in Greece?" Ray asked, aiming his launcher at the dish. **(I think the Olympia Challenge was in Greece . . .)**

"Let's see if you've mastered your bit beast yet." Oliver smiled, mirroring Ray's stance.

"Bladers are you ready?" DJ began. Both Ray and Oliver nodded. "3 . . . 2 . . . 1 . . . Let it . . . Rip!" They all called out, as both champions launched.

"Go for it, Driger!" Ray called out. "Let's do this!"

Ray's silver-grey beyblade shot towards Oliver's, making full use of its speed. It certainly managed to catch Oliver off guard, as his blade was thrown back.

"What speed! You've improved considerably!" Oliver nodded, seemingly unaware he was losing.

"You think that's impressive? Just wait till I _really_ attack!" Ray smiled, eyes glinting.

"I can imagine." Oliver mused. "But I won't give you that chance! Unicolyon!" He summoned.

His pink blade backed off from it's attacking, and lit up as the unicorn arose from it. In one blinding flash, the creature had appeared, and gazed upon the battle. "Alright Driger!" Ray summoned his own White Tiger within an instant of Unicolyon arriving.

"This battle is just getting underway!" DJ called to the audience.

"Earth Shake!" Oliver ordered.

Ray braced himself for the attack, which was much, much more powerful than he remembered from a year ago. The attack shook not only the beydish, but the entire arena as well, the ceiling looked ready to collapse again, and many people in the stands had to grab hold of the seat in front of them to stop themselves falling out!

"Driger!" Ray called out, trying to keep his balance.

"Well, Ray?" Oliver joked. "Where are your _attacks_?"

Ray looked up at Oliver, his pupils contracting, leaving them mere slits. "You'll get it. . ." He hissed.

His silver blade seemed to react to Ray's anger, and attacked Oliver's beyblade with more force and aggression than before. "Gatling Claw!" Ray shouted, increasing his blade's speed to a level unheard of before.

Oliver's eyes widened in shock, but only for a millisecond, as he took up defence against Ray's onslaught.

Ray's Driger Blade relentlessly attacked Oliver's, forcing it around the dish.

"That's the way!" Tyson cheered from the team bench.

"You got him on the run!" Max added.

"Come on Driger! Finish him off!" Ray commanded.

"Evade!" Oliver called out.

Unicolyon dodged Driger's last attack, and circled round to counter it. The two blades collided, causing more and more sparks, and smoke was visible from their contact.

The two blades broke apart, before slamming back into one another, shaking the arena floor with their power.

"Don't overdo it, Ray! You don't want to wreck your blade!" Kenny called out to the neko-jin.

Ray heard his warning, but paid no attention, the match was his, or so he thought.

"Driger!" He called out, willing his bit beast to fight harder.

"Unicolyon!" Oliver mirrored.

The blades continued to smash into each other, before Ray lost his patience. "Driger, break away!" He ordered. His White Tiger obeyed his command, and retreated to the edge of the dish where he waited for Oliver to make the next move.

"Earth Shake!" Oliver re-ordered of his unicorn bit beast.

Where Ray's beyblade was, at the edge of the dish, he felt the full effect of Oliver's Earth Shake attack. Ray realised too late he had made the mistake of putting distance between himself and Oliver's beyblade. A mistake he should have learned from.

"Get back in there, Driger!" He tried, to no avail. Oliver, too, had improved in the last year, and now he had the advantage over the battle, he would not let up.

"Final Attack, Unicolyon!" The French boy commanded.

As Oliver's blade headed straight for Ray's, Ray braced himself. "Try and stop it, Driger!" He yelled, knowing full-well neither he nor his bit beast could do anything to stop Oliver's attack.

In one masterful move, Unicolyon had thrown Driger out of the dish, and back into Ray's hands.

Oliver waved back to the crowd as they cheered his victory.

"What an upset! Looks like Oliver isn't the French Champion for nothing!" DJ called out. "What a match!" He continued cheering. "Well played to both Oliver and Ray!"

Ray looked dejectedly at his Driger Blade, his pupils returning to normal. He blinked a few times before looking back at Oliver.

"You played very well, Ray." The green-haired teen nodded in respect. "If you hadn't moved to the rim of the dish, you probably would have won." Oliver admitted, showing him his beyblade. It was sliced up and looked as though it would fall apart any second.

"You've gained a lot more control over your bit beast, and you've gained more speed and power. A worthy opponent." Oliver explained.

"We've all improved." Ray said, as the rest of the team approached.

"Unlucky, Ray, it was just an exhibition." Hilary was the first to comfort him.

"I don't feel bad. I gave it my all." Ray said.

"You were amazing out there!" Max patted Ray on the back.

"Yeah, I don't remember the last time I saw Driger looking so powerful!" Kenny agreed.

"They're right! Great match!" Tyson nodded.

"Thanks, you guys." Ray smiled. "I think you may have to fix my blade, though, Chief." He handed his beyblade to Kenny.

"What an amazing way to end this tournament!" Brad's voice rang down. "Can you believe we got through the exhibition with the ceiling intact!"

"I know!" AJ laughed. "That's probably the greatest achievement!"

"Beyblade fans, and beybladers themselves," DJ began, bringing the tournament to a close. "It has certainly been one amazing tournament! We've seen exiting battles, breathtaking wins, and many losses. At the end of it all, the Bladebreakers team are crowned tournament champions!"

The crowd let out another huge roar as the team waved one final time.

Before any of the team could begin a conversation, Mr. Dickenson walked up to them. "Well done my little Bladebreakers, I knew you could do it!" The old man smiled.

"Hey, Mr. D! You were watching!" Tyson asked as the ageing man approached.

"But of course!" The chairman laughed. "I've been watching it all! You're a little more reckless than I remember, though." He added with a grin.

"Sorry about that, sir!" Tyson laughed.

"Is it true you're planning a blader reunion?" Max asked, eager to get to the point.

"So you figured it out, did you?" Mr. Dickenson smiled. "I should have known. Let's speak about it in the locker room." He led the team out of the stadium, listening to the applause from the stands.

* * *

/Locker Room/

* * *

"So?" Kenny asked once they had arrived. "What's going on?"

"I wanted to bring some of the most well-known beybladers back together, you can swap strategies, learn new things, have re-matches, and just catch-up." Mr. Dickenson explained. "You always performed better when you were surrounded by other teams. This will help the Bladebreakers team as a whole." He finished.

"So . . . it's really gonna happen?" Tyson gasped.

"Yes, when I finish contacting the other teams. Don't forget they're all scattered around the world, and have their own plans. It'll take a while to gather them all together."

"Alright! I can't wait!" Tyson punched the air. "So many re-matches, so many-" He continued waffling on to himself.

"How long . . . until this reunion?" Rhea asked.

"Like I said, I'm not sure of an exact date, but no longer than 2 or 3 weeks until I've contacted them all." The chairman said, stroking his moustache as he thought.

"Two weeks!" The whole team gasped.

"Yes, I've actually already spoken to your grandfather, Tyson. He's more than willing to host the reunion in his dojo. It's easily large enough to hold everyone." Mr. Dickenson announced.

"Really? Grandpa hasn't said anything about it to me." Tyson asked.

"I guess he's better at keeping secrets than I am!" The old man laughed.

"Who are you bringing for the reunion?" Hilary asked, eager to find out about the other bladers.

"You'll just have to wait and see." Mr. Dickenson laughed. "Now, as you can imagine, I have a lot of work to do, try and keep out of trouble, alright?" He continued laughing as he left the room, Oliver in tow.

"Hey, Oliver! Where are you going?" Kenny called to him.

"I have to go with Mr. Dickenson, and help him get together all the teams." He explained.

"Leave? But you've only just come!" Hilary sobbed.

"I'll be back at the reunion!" With a quick farewell wave, Oliver exited, leaving the team to worry about more important things, namely, other beybladers.

* * *

/Tyson's Dojo/

* * *

"Grandpa, I can't believe you kept it a secret!" Tyson muttered to his grandfather.

"Hehe, you gotta keep your eyes and ears open at all times!" The old man laughed, upon the team's return to the dojo later that evening.

"Yeah, yeah, I know." Tyson waved his hand in a bored manner; he had heard the same speech before. He could barely suppress a yawn as he entered the dojo.

"Looks like that tournament took it out of ya, lil dude!" His grandpa laughed. "Ya did well." He added.

"You . . . saw it? But how? You weren't there!" Tyson asked, confused.

"Hehe, ya keep forgettin' we have a TV, I saw the tournament from the semis, I had a kendo class to teach first." His grandpa explained. "Anyway, i ordered a pizza for you guys, i figured you'd need to get your strength back, and it's a treat for all ya hard work!"

Tyson, however, had been at the table the moment his grandpa had said the word 'pizza.'

The team was sitting around the table, when Hilary noticed Rhea wasn't there. "Rhea?" She called out.

"Be right there . . ." Came the reply.

"Oh . . . okay, i'd hurry up though, otherwise Tyson'll have eaten it all. HEY THAT'S MY SLICE!" Hilary snapped.

"You snooze, you lose." Tyson muttered, shoving the pizza down his throat at a nauseating speed.

* * *

Rhea, meanwhile, had returned to her room, where she promptly dialled a number on her cell phone, after making sure the coast was clear.

"Rhea." Came the reply, after several 'rings.'

"Yes, sir. I'm still working on it, things are slower thanI had anticipated, and-" She was cut off.

"Slower than you aniticpated? What were you doing, battling in a tournament? That is of no concern to you!"

"Sir,I couldn't help it, ifI didn't-"

"You seem to be forgetting you are there for a reason. IfI had wanted you to beybattle in a tournament,I would have hosted one myself!" The male voice snarled, cutting her off agin.

"Sir . . . I'm sorry . . . it won't happen again." Rhea sobbed, shaking with fear.

"It better not. We are running out of time."

"I swear." She answered.

"Perhaps you need _reminding_ of why you are there, hmm, Rhea?" The voice had taken on a sinister edge.

"No, sir, I will not be distracted."

"How do I know that? You said that when you left. How do I you won't lose sight of your objective again?" He sneered.

"I don't make the same mistake twice, sir." She replied boldly.

"Very well. Switch to Plan B, seeing as you've all but abandoned A."

". . . yes sir." She got ready to hang up the phone, when he spoke again.

"I think you need a little . . . _motivation_ . . . just to make sure you do not slip up again."

"Wait . . . no, sir!" She screamed down the phone. Her voice was loud, but it did not drown out the indistinguishable sound of two gunshots. Tears rolled down her cheeks at the sound.

"Failure is not an option." The phone line went dead.

* * *

**Man, I hate that chappie! It sucked! None the less, it WILL get better! (I hope!) Please keep R&Ring for me none-the-less! Muchas Gracias!**

**Wow! 6 reviews for one chappie! Thank u all SOOOOOO much! Hehe, I only need 5 more to reach 50! Yayness! I can't believe my hit count is 2600! Wow! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay!**

darkanimegirl: **Thanks for reviewing, yeah, it was a bit short, I know, sorry about that. This chappie had Ray fight Oliver, so you got your wish! Keep reviewing! **

SweetMystery: **I'm glad you liked the chappie; it was kinda 'fluffy' I suppose. Well, as you know, Ray fought Oliver! Hope you liked the battle, and keep reviewing!**

Kyogue: **Thank you for the plushie! Hehe! I'll keep it in a safe place! Hehe! Hope you liked the match! Keep reviewing, thanks!**

CrimsonSkye06: **I would have had her battle, but people seemed to prefer Ray. She'll fight again, though. Thank you for reviewing! I appreciate it greatly!**

fallen phoenix of darkness:** Cool username, you're another new reviewer, aren't you? Yay! I'm glad you like it so far! Just keep reviewing! (Yeah, I kinda like getting reviews . . . )**

brezzybrez: **Hehe, I couldn't resist leaving it like that! Hehe . . . well, that and I had to figure out who was gonna battle him! Keep reviewing! **

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**Wow, that's all of 'em! Only 5 more to go 'till the big 5-0! FIVE! In 3 chappies time I hope to reach that goal, but if I reach it before . . . hint, hint!**


	19. III Confrontations

**Heart of Darkness**

**Woah. More on that at the end! **

**One quick word from me before the chappie, sorry, it'll be quick! The end of the tournament last chappie kinda marked the end of the second 'mini-saga.' This fic is, or will be, divided into 4 'mini-sagas,' although they'll be of different lengths. The first one was 'Introductory,' second was 'Tourney,' this third one that's about to start is 'Cold Darkness,' and will pretty much be the 'meat' of the story. These mini-sagas just break up the story a bit, and put it 'in order' in my head, and, hopefully, my readers and reviewers too. **

**Enough of me, now, on with the fic! Enjoy.**

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**Chappie 18 Confrontations **

* * *

Rhea sat on the bed, dumbstruck, crying silently, her phone lying innocently on the sheets. A vacant expression was on her face as she stared into space, eyes falling in and out of focus as she gazed distantly at the wall, unable to do anything else. She sniffed quietly, but did nothing to stem the waterfall of tears. She was hurt beyond belief, upset, angry, yet she simply sat there, crying silent tears of acceptance. 

Footsteps coming down the hall brought her out of her 'trance.' A hesitant knock turned Rhea's watery gaze to the door. "Rhea? You in there?" A female voice asked.

Rhea shook her head, quickly wiping the tears from her face, but she could do nothing to hide the puffy-eyed look which gave her tears away. Hilary opened the sliding door and stepped in, shutting the door behind her.

"You didn't come to dinner, I thought something was-" Hilary stopped in mid-sentence, as she noticed Rhea's face.

"Rhea?" Hilary asked uncertainly. "What happened? Why are you crying?" She asked, rushing to her side.

"Oh, it's nothing, really . . ." Rhea mumbled, getting up and heading for the door. "I'm going to the bathroom." She finished, leaving the room, leaving Hilary unsure as to what to do next.

Once behind the safely locked door of the bathroom, Rhea turned and looked at her reflection in the mirror on the medicine cabinet. She wasn't happy with what she saw. An ill-looking dark-haired 16 year old girl was gazing back at her with blue eyes, a slight scowl on her face. The skin under her eyes was red and puffy because of her crying, and she splashed her face with water.

The coldness woke her up a bit, and she shook her head clear of the upset thoughts. "How dare he . . ." She said outloud. "But there's nothing I can do . . . I'll have to continue with plan B." Rhea nodded, making a decision made her feel more in control. She stripped her clothes off and stepped into the shower. Within seconds she was almost completely obscured by the steam floating around the shower.

Turning her head up to the shower head, she let the water fall onto her face. Relishing the feeling, she felt her doubts and uncertainties wash away along with the water . . .

* * *

Hilary was already asleep when Rhea returned. A quick glance at her phone showed the time as 22:56. Rhea sighed as she changed into her pyjamas and slipped into her own bed, switching the lamp by her bed off. She could not allow any more mistakes. Not this time. She would not allow it.

* * *

Next morning, Kenny had ordered a training session to asses the new levels of each of the team's blades, much to Tyson's annoyance. 

"C'mon, chief! Not training _again_! We just got back from the tournament!" The navy-blue haired teen moaned, after failing yet another of Kenny's obstacle courses.

"Tyson, you've got to be in top form! We barely scraped through the finals of that tournament, and Ray lost his exhibition match against Oliver." Kenny explained for what felt like the umpteenth time that morning.

"Yeah, but we've got a reunion to plan for!" Tyson argued.

"But you're not gonna win any of those rematches in the state your blading is in." Kenny countered. Tyson, for once, seemed at a loss for a comeback.

"Chief has a point." Max nodded, launching his own beyblade at the course. "We've gotta be the best we can be."

"What about Kai, then?" Tyson replied, "He's not doing the course."

"_Kai_ did the course before _you_ were even awake, Tyson!" Kenny replied, beginning to lose both his patience and his temper.

"And Rhea? Where's she?" Tyson asked, pressing the matter even further.

"TYSON!" Kenny yelled. "Just get on with it!"

The sudden outburst shocked Tyson, so he decided to launch without further debate.

_True, though, Tyson does have a point. _Ray thought to himself. Rhea hadn't been seen since they returned from the tournament. She hadn't come down to eat, and she hadn't been outside all morning. _Come to think of it, neither had Hilary. _The neko-jin thought, loading his blade for another attempt at the course.

Kai was at the other end of the yard, doing his own 'weaving' course through a set of cans. He was waiting for an explanation from a certain dark-haired girl. That is, when she chose to appear. When Mr. Dickenson had spoken to him during the tournament, and mentioned there was another, rather well-known blader here watching them, and would be here for an exhibition, his thoughts had immediately jumped to Bryan and Ian, whom he recognized early in the competition, watching from the stands. When the chairman had, in fact, been referring to the French blader Oliver, and had seemed completely oblivious to the Russian boys, Kai's suspicions of Rhea had shot sky-high. There were hundreds of questions he needed to ask her: What was her connection to them? Why did they know her? Why were they watching her? And just why did she join the team in the first place?

These, and many more questions ran round his head like a violent river, causing him to become angrier and angrier at her absence, and the lack of knowledge he had because of it. With one, aggressive launch, his Dranzer smashed through a large stone which flanked one side of the pond in the yard. The resulting explosion caused the others to look up.

"Hey! Kai! Watch where you're aiming!" Tyson yelled at the captain.

Kai muttered a brief 'sorry,' before turning back to where his beyblade was still spinning. He stooped to pick it up.

When he looked up, Rhea could be seen entering the dojo from the main entrance. Before Kai could make his way over to her, Tyson beat him to it.

"Hey, Rhea! Where were you last night? Are you alright?" Tyson asked the girl, jumping right up to her.

"Sorry 'bout that, I was tired. I just went for a walk now, got up early." She shrugged. Tyson nodded, apparently accepting her excuse. "Hey, you gotta distract Kenny, do his obstacle course, I haven't eaten yet!" Tyson whispered to her, eying the dojo. Rhea laughed quietly, although her face fell when she saw Kai approach.

"Rhea." He nodded.

"Morning, Kai." She smiled, as though nothing was wrong.

"Well?" He asked. "Rhea? Well?"

"Kai, I doubt you want me to discuss such things here." Rhea nodded towards the others.

After a brief look round, Kai agreed. "You're right. Let's go." With that he walked out of the dojo, and onto the street outside.

"Hey! Hey! Wait up!" She called, rushing outside to follow him.

Tyson glanced over his shoulder, expecting to see Rhea and the team captain behind him, but he saw no-one. "Rhea?" He asked. "Kai? Where'd they go?" He directed his last question at the others, including Hilary, who emerged from inside the dojo. They all shrugged.

"Aw man! She's turning into Kai! Always going off!" Tyson moaned.

"Never mind them." Kenny said. "You have training to do."

* * *

Kai set off at a brisk walk; Rhea almost had to jog to keep up with him. "Where exactly . . . are we going?" She asked. She merely got silence as a reply. "Kai, don't blank me. I want a few answers from you too, if you want answers from me, I suggest you be a little more courteous." She snapped. 

"The beach." Kai half-laughed at either her confidence or foolishness.

"Wasn't that better?" She muttered, not expecting a reply. She didn't get one.

After a while, the two arrived at the beach, where the team had trained in the past.

"Alright." Rhea sighed, wondering what to say, and how. "I have a few things I wanna ask you, Kai." She began.

"My questions are more important. How do you know Bryan and Ian?" Kai rushed ahead.

"Hold on, I didn't ask mine yet!" She snapped. Both Kai and Rhea were as stubborn as each other, both wanted to get their thoughts cleared up first. This stubbornness soon turned to anger, and, involuntarily, they both reached for their launchers.

"Fine, let's settle this the old-fashioned way." Rhea snarled.

"Fine with me." Kai agreed, as the two ran further along the sand, getting more and more distance between them. Once they were at a suitable distance, they launched with no countdown.

"Let it rip!" They both called out as their blades collided on the beach, sending a small sand-cloud to form around their beyblades.

"Dranzer!" Kai yelled, summoning his phoenix.

"Kraken!" Rhea mirrored, releasing her dragon.

The two creatures fought viciously, as below, the beyblades continued to ram into one another. "I see your shoulder is better." Rhea teased.

"I heal quickly." Kai muttered.

The two beyblades continued to attack one another relentlessly, they were lucky the beach was empty, with the amount of sand that was being blown about by the beyblade's impact.

Both Kai and Rhea pushed forward, with neither letting up. Rhea's broke off the attack, and sped off in the opposite direction. "Get her, Dranzer!" Kai ordered. The phoenix instantly flew after the fleeing dragon. "Blazing Gig!" The slate-haired teen ordered.

Dranzer unleashed wave after wave of burning feathers, but none found their mark.

"I'm ready for you, this time, Kai!" Rhea smirked, remembering their first battle.

"Kraken!" She called out. Her dragon stopped fleeing, and turned to face the oncoming phoenix. "Silent White!" Rhea ordered. The familiar 'upward nod' of the dragon caused the icicles to shoot up through the sand.

"Avoid it, Dranzer!" Kai ordered. His blue blade immediately veered off the 'path' it had been following, and sped off to the side, as the icicles missed completely.

"Kraken! Control . . . ." Rhea whispered. Kraken's eyes followed Kai's beyblade, as the Silent White icicles changed course too, leaving its straight line course, and following Dranzer.

"I didn't know you could do that!" Kai gasped. "I thought the attack could only work in a straight line!"

"Yeah, well, you learn something new everyday." Rhea laughed, teasing him, as her icicle attack began gaining on Dranzer, which was considerably slower because of the sand.

"Dranzer, there's nothing to be gained by running." Kai spoke to his phoenix. "Face the attack!" He ordered.

"Fool . . ." Rhea laughed. "Attack!" She commanded, allowing Kraken to attack with all its power.

Dranzer closed its wings around itself, shielding its body from the ice.

"Heaven's Cataract!" Rhea yelled.

The phoenix was soon lost from sight because of all the snow and ice. Kai, too, braced himself against the attack, but after a while, it had passed. Looking up, Kai smiled. Dranzer was still there, and his beyblade was still spinning.

"Hehe, not quite strong enough, Rhea." Kai laughed.

"Final attack!" Rhea cried out in desperation, as Kai yelled the very same thing.

Having used up most of its energy in the attacks, Kraken was visibly weaker, and retreated back to its beyblade after the explosion caused by the two 'final attacks.'

Rhea ran forward to catch her beyblade as it was thrown into the air. She looked at it sadly for a minute, before facing Kai. "I guess that makes us even now." She laughed.

"I suppose it does." Kai smirked, walking up to her, holding Dranzer. "Now, I believe you owe me an explanation . . ."

* * *

**And that's that chappie done! **

**I HAVE 69 REVIEWS! WOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Thank you all so very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very much! I can't believe I'm bordering on 70 reviews before chappie 20! Wow. Thank you all for your support and encouragement! It really means so much to me/wipes away a tear/**

**Alright, replies!**

SweetMystery: **Thanks for your support; I'm glad you enjoyed it. Don't worry; more is definitely on the way! Thanks for reviewing!**

brezzybrez: **Please don't die! I'd be sued! Hehe! Here's the update! Hope you liked it! Thanks for reviewing!**

Kyogue: **Thank you for your review, and the cookie! Hehe! I'm glad you liked it**!

CrimsonSkye06: **Hehe, you're the first person to guess . . .**

i luv athrun: **Woah. Err . . . . Thank you for reviewing so many times! Hehe! You're also my 50th reviewer! (And 51st, 52nd, 53rd, 54th . . .) Here: (hands over 50th reviewer badge)**

SN: **I'm glad you like it, another new reviewer? Yay! Keep reviewing!**

fallen phoenix of darkness: **Thanks for reviewing! Hehe, all will be revealed in due time . . . **

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**I also want to thank everyone who's added this fic as a fav, but please, do leave me a review! It means so much! **

**Wow! I still can't believe this! I guess my incessant begging for reviews is paying off! Hehe, please do keep 'em coming! Until next update! **

* * *


	20. Confessions

**Heart of Darkness**

**Heylo all, once again! I apologise for not updating sooner, been difficult. I also apologise for any OOCness that may have occurred in the story so far, or may occur in the rest of it, I try and keep them in character as much as possible. Well, I'll not keep all my wonderful reviewers and readers waiting! Enjoy! (Then leave a review!)**

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**Chappie 19**

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Rhea sighed quietly, as she pocketed her blade. "Let's go over there." She pointed to the wooden pier at one end of the beach, which stretched out about 40 ft into the calm ocean. Kai nodded silently and followed her lead. Now he had her right where he wanted her, there was no way she was going to worm her way out of this one.

Walking along the wood, Rhea sat down on the end, dangling her feet over the edge. The tide was out, and there was a good 10ft drop into the water below. Kai sat down on the pier next to her, but remained silent. He wouldn't force her to talk, no, that'd just make her lie or 'close-up,' something he was familiar with…

After what seemed like hours, Rhea finally spoke. "As you know," she began, "Bryan and Ian of the Russian team the Demolition Boys were at the charity competition." Kai still kept his mouth shut, waiting for her to go on. Rhea sensed he was waiting, so she continued, gazing across the ocean as she spoke.

"They were… watching the tournament with… interest…" Rhea chose her words carefully, not wanting to give too much information away, or it would be catastrophic for her.

"Why?" Kai asked.

"They were interested to see how the Bladebreakers were doing." She said.

"There's more to it than that, Rhea." Kai said, looking at her for the first time. "Tell me." He pressed. "I know those two; they wouldn't just pop round to 'see how we're getting on.' Tell me the truth, Rhea." He almost snapped at her. "How do you know them?" His voice almost had a cold edge to it, one the pair of them were all too familiar with.

Rhea laughed to herself. "I knew you wouldn't be satisfied with that." She muttered. "You are not as blind as the others."

"What are you getting at?" Kai snapped, temper rising.

"You know Tala… of the Demolition Boys?" Rhea began, her voice quiet. She was unsure how much to tell him, but he had her cornered. Without waiting for a reply, which she knew would be 'yes,' she continued. "Well, you see… he's… my brother…" Rhea trailed off, feeling the tension in the air rise instantly.

The silence was held for a full 2 minutes, before she spoke again. "Aren't you going to say something?"

"To be honest with you, Rhea, I'm not really surprised. It explains a lot…" Kai said.

"You… you knew I was-"

"I had my suspicions; your eyes are a dead giveaway." He added with a smirk. "But aside from that, you don't really look much like him. You're not twins, are you?" Kai asked, wondering how they could be the same age as each other.

"No. You see… he's my half-brother. We have the same father." Rhea explained quickly.

"I see." Kai muttered, allowing the awkward silence to descend upon them.

Kai noticed how a slight blush had appeared on her pale cheeks; she was obviously embarrassed about telling him. "Are you ashamed?" Kai asked.

"No! Of course not!" Rhea laughed, but she could not stop tears welling up in her eyes, identical to her brother's. She wiped them away aggressively. "Sorry, I…" Rhea muttered, unsure where to take the next sentence. "Tala has been a good friend to me, as well as being my brother…" She added.

"Then why are you crying?" Kai asked, completely confused. She had been fine a minute ago…

"Oh, it's nothing…" She got rid of the last few tears, and focused her gaze on a spot on the horizon, in order to stem the flow. _The pain… it's too fresh…that's why…_

"Rhea…" Kai asked in a much gentler tone. "If you're Tala's sister, you must know… Boris." He shuddered at the sound of the name. She nodded slowly.

Kai instantly put two-and-two together. "What has he done?" He asked, realising it was because of that purple-haired maniac Rhea was crying. "I know what he's capable of, tell me." Kai pressed, trying to rid his own mind of the thoughts of the abbey that had crept in there.

"He… he killed my… parents…" She whispered. "That means Tala's father, too… I owe Tala a life now…"

Kai sat there, dumbstruck. He knew Boris could quite easily murder, but he never thought it would affect anyone he knew, least of all Rhea. In truth the two of them had become quite close, and more often then not he chose to spin against her in training, but now adding Boris into the mix… well, it wouldn't help the situation at all.

"I'm sorry, Rhea." Kai shrugged. Comforting people was definitely not one of his best qualities. Thinking back to all the times he had seen Hilary comfort the team, Kai suddenly embraced Rhea in an awkward hug.

Rhea tensed up immediately, mostly because of the shock of Kai being _friendly?_ "I'm sorry…" Kai kept repeating quietly. Rhea soon relaxed into his arms. _It is part of my objective…but why?_ The two sat like that for a while, before breaking away.

"Thank you, Kai. You didn't have to do that." She smiled. Kai simply shrugged.

"I believe you wanted to ask me a few things?" He asked, noting she seemed much better.

"Yes. Yes I did." Rhea nodded. "The mark on your back. What is it?"

Kai's eyes opened wide in shock. "How did you know about that?" He asked.

"You didn't answer my question." She smiled, her usual self returning.

"Hmph." Kai snorted. _True, she admitted about Tala, so I guess I owe her an explanation about that._ Kai thought to himself.

"You don't have to tell me if you really don't want to." Rhea said, laying the guilt-trip on thick.

Kai laughed. "I suppose I do owe you an explanation."

"Well then?" She asked.

Kai sighed deeply. _No-one knew about this, not even any of the Bladebreakers…_

"Alright, I'll tell you." He finally nodded. "My mother was Russian." He began. "I was born in Russia, in… the abbey. It's why I was raised there. My father was Japanese, you see, it's my surname: Hiwatari." He spoke his last name in a proud tone, something Rhea had never heard from Kai.

"When I was very young, you see," he continued, "my father wanted me to achieve great things, or so I was told by my grandfather."

"Voltaire?" Rhea asked.

"That's right." Kai nodded. "So, my father decided to place a mark on my back. The mark which you saw." He added the last bit with a slight venom in his voice.

"So what is the mark? What does it mean?" Rhea asked.

"I'm hardly going to take my top off and show you!" Kai snorted, going slightly red.

"Oh come on, I've seen it before, why will now be any different?" Rhea laughed.

After a minute or two of glaring, Kai gave in. Quickly taking off his black jacket, he lifted up the back of the shirt he wore underneath in order to show her.

"Wow… it's beautiful…" Rhea gasped, amazed. "What does it say? What does it mean?" She asked again, as Kai put his jacket back on.

The 3 symbols on Kai's back had been elegantly placed, and were in Chinese. (It's difficult to describe, here's the link if anyone wants to see it: http/ www .chinesesymbolsmeaning .com / chinese-symbols / s / survivor . gif )

Rhea recognized this, and asked why, before he had a chance to answer her first two questions. "I thought your father was Japanese? Why are the marks in Chinese?" She asked.

"Apparently my father spent a lot of time in both Japan and China, and could speak and write both languages fluently." Kai explained.

"So, what do the symbols say?" Rhea asked yet again.

"Survivor." He said simply.

"But that's what the name 'Kai' means!" She gasped.

"Yes, that's right." He nodded, smiling slightly.

"That's amazing…" Rhea gasped. "How do you know all this?"

"Voltaire told me bits and pieces; I worked out the rest for myself." Kai replied.

"What about… your parents?" Rhea asked, guessing the answer. It was not to her liking.

"Same as yours." Kai responded in an emotionless voice. "There were some things even Voltaire kept from me." Kai's hands clenched into fists as he thought about his so-called 'grandfather.'

"Kai?" Rhea asked hesitantly. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." Kai muttered, calming himself down.

"What happened?" She asked.

"What do you mean?" Kai asked.

"When you were there, in the abbey. What happened? You seem… different from the others." She voiced her thoughts outloud.

"Nothing." Kai sighed, his usual wall shielding his emotions. Rhea realised this, and knew their 'little chat' was over.

"I'm going back to the dojo to train with the others." Rhea explained, standing up. "Thanks for listening; I suppose I had a lot to get off my chest." She smiled, even though Kai was looking the other way. "I'll see you later." With that, she turned and walked back down the pier, across the sand and back into town, leaving Kai to his own thoughts.

Kai sat stock-still, allowing the slight breeze to ruffle his spiky hair as he continued to stare into the horizon, without really watching anything. _Rhea… she told me a lot, but I still get the feeling she's holding something back. Maybe I'm thinking too much. What more could there possibly be to her? What more secrets does she harbour? The death of her parents is a terrible loss. She must have found out the night we got back. Yes… that makes sense. That's why Bryan and Ian were at the tournament, they were watching her, but why? That's the one thing I need to ask her. Why? What does Boris want? Why… Why… Why…_

* * *

**Alright, end of chappie. Again, I'm sorry for the long wait, and I'm sorry if that chappie was rubbish/confusing/stupid/weird etc **

**Anyway, here are the replies to those wonderful people who took the time to review!**

CrimsonSkye06: **Aha, and you shall have them! I'm sure there will be more answers yet to come, so keep 'em peeled. Again, thanks for reviewing!**

Heartless Devil: **I'm glad you liked it, I will try and update more frequently.**

Storms-Winter: **Yeah, I suppose! Hehe, I'm glad you liked it! Keep reviewing!**

SweetMystery: **I suppose the plot is beginning to thicken, eh? Thanks for reviewing, no way I'm gonna stop! Hehe… you shall have more, more, more!**

brezzybrez: **Here's the update, hope you liked it; I guess I'm startin' to use cliffies more, eh? Keep reviewing!**

Clare: **Hehe, I'm glad you like my fic. Not to worry, a nice amount of insanity is a good thing…… o.O Keep reviewing!**

gerichung: **Hehe, I'm glad you like it, I try and update as frequently as possible. I will most definitely keep going 'till the end! Here's the update for you! Keep reviewing! Thank you!**

**Okay, reviews done, that's all for now! Keep reviewing for me, please! Until next update!**

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	21. News

**Heart of Darkness**

**Heyo all once again! I'm trying to finish this story by Saturday, so all of you wonderful reviewers and readers will not have much longer to wait! Haha! This chappie will be a bit short, I'm sorry, but I decided to write 2 shortish chappies, or one mega-long chappie, so err… yeah! Sorry if you don't like my decision, but it also means you can leave me 2 reviews instead of 1! (cough… cough…) Now, on with the next chappie! Enjoy, and then leave a review!**

* * *

**Chappie 20**

* * *

Over the next few days, Kai continued to train more and more with Rhea, hoping to get more answers, but Rhea seemed never to mention anything about their 'conversation,' do he decided not to press the matter further.

_She's bound to be hurting, and I don't want to dig up old scars, heck, I know the pain that can bring. Rhea hasn't quite been herself since our talk, she seems slightly more distant, often very quiet. I've kept her 'secret' a secret, so she doesn't have to worry about that at least, but I know what's bothering her. It's the question that plagues my own thoughts… if I can just get a straight answer from her, everything will make sense, and everything will fall into place. It all depends on whether or not she decides to talk. Once she has this 'problem' off her mind, she'll be better, happier… I almost feel a desire to right the wrongs with her life… no… could I have greater feelings? More than friendship…?_

Another argument between the brunette and the bluenette on the team broke Kai from his thoughts. Kenny was in between the two, desperately trying to calm them down, without much success. Max and Ray, on the other hand, knew all too well to stay out of any argument between Tyson and Hilary.

"How could you Tyson?" Hilary was yelling. She was waving around her very expensive pink fluffy bag she had bought in town the day before; it was now covered in mud.

"Hey, how was I supposed to know? I thought it was junk."

"Junk? JUNK? The only JUNK around here is that spinning top of yours!"

"Look, my bad, okay?" Tyson sniffed, mocking sadness. "It was the last obstacle we needed for the course, and-"

"Oh… TYSON!" She stormed off into the dojo.

"What was that all about, Tyson?" Rhea asked.

"Hilary." Tyson huffed, adjusting his cap.

"What did you do?" She asked again.

"It wasn't MY fault! How was I supposed to know she'd go ape on me! I didn't even do anything!"

"Well what did she think you did?" Max asked.

Tyson huffed again, and folded his arms. "Oh I don't know. I just put one of her bags on the ground as part of the obstacle course, and she goes ballistic! I tell ya… she's got a million of 'em…" Tyson muttered, examining his Dragoon Blade, the only distraction from the conversation about Hilary.

"Well the ground is kinda muddy…" Ray voiced.

"Pfft. Whatever." Tyson snorted, loading Dragoon into its launcher, and shooting it at the now-minus-one-obstacle course. The others laughed under their breath. The love-hate relationship between Tyson and Hilary was very entertaining.

Tyson flopped onto the wooden pathway at the back of the dojo, leaving Dragoon to spin where it was. "Aw, man! I can't take this!" He sighed loudly.

"Now what's wrong?" Kai asked.

"Just apologize to her." Ray said.

"Not Hilary! It's this reunion thing." Tyson laughed. "Mr. D said he'd let us know all the details, and we've heard nada from him."

"Just be patient. Mr. Dickenson will let us know very soon, I'm sure." Rhea said.

"Patience? Tyson? Don't make me laugh!" Kai smirked.

"Wow, we got 2 sentences from the old sourpuss!" Tyson laughed. "Good job, Rhea. You need to stay here, only way to get Kai to talk!"

Rhea blushed ever so slightly at the statement, before she amply turned her attention back to Kraken, who was in the middle of weaving through a line of tin cans.

* * *

Another distraction came in the form of an elderly man entering the back yard, who was preceded by a: "Yo, gang! Mr. D's here!" from Tyson's grandpa. The chairman was also followed by Hilary.

"Hey! Mr. D!" Tyson waved.

"Afternoon boys and girls, afternoon." The old man smiled.

"Any news?" Max asked, jumping up.

"It's going to be quite a success!" Mr. Dickenson said. "I've managed to get hold of the vast majority of beyblading teams, with young Oliver's help, of course."

"Where… is Oliver?" Ray asked, looking around.

"Oh, he had to return to France to speak to the rest of the Majestics team." Mr. Dickenson explained. "Now," he went on, "the reunion is going to be held in exactly one week, I've already outlined the details to your grandfather, Tyson."

"Alright! One week 'till my rematches!" Tyson punched the air.

"And me!" Max piped up. "I've got a few scores to settle as well."

"I think we all have." Ray agreed.

"Definitely." Kai nodded.

"Hehe, there may also be one or two small surprises…" Mr. Dickenson continued, brushing down his moustache as he spoke.

"What surprises?" Rhea asked.

"Well, well… you'll just have to wait and see…" He laughed. "Now kids, I've got to be off, I'll see you all later." With that, he showed himself out, leaving an excited atmosphere behind.

"Hear that? One week!" Tyson was yelling.

"Calm down, Tyson!" Hilary yelled back, which, of course, turned into another argument. However, not even the ear-splitting racket caused by the 'shouting-match' could quell the happy atmosphere and excitement of the team.

"Alright guys!" Kenny yelled, trying to get their attention. After several minutes of frantic waving, Tyson and Hilary finally calmed down. "Alright," the Chief began, "we'll do away with the obstacle courses for the most part, and concentrate more on actual battles, particularly one-sided matches, where you fight an uphill battle. This'll prepare us for the matches you'll be fighting at the reunion!"

The team all nodded in agreement.

"Right, then! Let's get to work!" Kenny smiled.

Later that night, Hilary and Rhea were in their room, discussing the reunion, and the possible beybladers that would be there.

"… but that's the thing, Hil, you know more bladers than me!" Rhea was saying.

"Not really. I only know the Saint Shields." Hilary disagreed. "Only four of them. I'm sure you've heard of most of the other bladers and the other teams. I mean, you play the sport."

"I dunno…" Rhea answered. "But I've never heard of the Saint Shields."

"Apparently they come from a remote village somewhere in the mountains. They're pretty secretive."

"I see."

"Well, obviously not now." Hilary thought. "Hehe, Max has a slight… fascination with one of them, though…" She giggled.

"He does?" Rhea asked.

"Uh-huh. The girl on their team. Name's Mariam."

"Oh!" Rhea smiled. "Well done Max!"

"Yeah, hehe. Well done you, too." Hilary said with a craft grin.

"Me?"

"Yup. You and Kai, eh?" Hilary giggled. "I've got eyes to see!"

"Me and… well, I…" Rhea stammered, going red.

"Come on, you can tell me!" Hilary winked.

"Why don't you tell me about Tyson, eh? I don't need to see you two, I can hear you!" Rhea asked with an equally mischievous smirk.

"Tyson?" It was Hilary's turn to go red. Both girls burst into fits of laughter, and added to the good mood.

Rhea's happy spirits, however, were soon broken early the next morning by her phone ringing. Rushing quickly into the bathroom and locking the door behind her, she answered it tentatively.

"Yes sir?" She asked quietly, for fear of waking the others. She could still hear Tyson's snores echoing down the hall, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

"Rhea." Came the cold voice. "How are you doing?"

The question was not about her health or her beyblading skills.

"I'm progressing steadily, sir." Rhea replied, forcing the tears that had welled in her eyes back.

"That's exactly what I wanted to hear from you, Rhea." He said. "Time is up. The plane leaves tomorrow. Can you achieve your goal by then?"

"… yes sir." She sighed dejectedly.

"Good, remember to bring Dranzer as the lure." The phone line went dead.

Rhea exhaled deeply, and put the phone in her pyjama pocket, before looking at her reflection in the mirror.

"It's now or never."

* * *

**And that's that! Like I said, sorry for the shortishness of that chappie. I'm trying to get one update done everyday in order to finish it, so… err… yeah! Here are the replies to the people that have taken the time to review!**

SweetMystery: **Yup! I do love that 'why' question! All questions will be answered very soon, so you'll not have long to wait! More, more, more coming right up! Thanks for reviewing!**

Soullesswinds: **I'm glad you liked it, another new reviewer! Yay! I read the fic like you asked, it's very good! Can't wait for the update! Thanks for reviewing! **

Storms-winter: **Yup! Hehe, I'm glad you liked that bit; Kai's allowed to be embarrassed a little bit every now and then, eh? Hehe, thanks for reviewing!**

HeartlessDevil: **O.O You read my mind… Thanks for reviewing!**

CrimsonSkye06: **I'm sorry the link didn't work. Stupid site. If you wanna see it, just type in 'Chinese symbols' on google, and there should be several good links to it, it's how I found it. Thanks for reviewing!**

brezzybrez: **I'm glad you like it, thanks for the compliment! Next chappie should be up tomorrow!**

i love athrun: **Well, ahem, yes, thanks for reviewing! Next chappie up soon!**

Kyogue: **I'm glad you didn't expect it; I thought I made it a bit too obvious, particularly at the start of the fic, when you first meet her. I'm glad you like it, and keep reviewing!**

**Well, reviews done, thank you all so much for your support so far, I appreciate it, big time! Keep reviewing, and hopefully this fic'll be complete by the end of the week! Till next update!**


	22. Shock

**Heart of Darkness**

**Okay, okay, I'm sorry I didn't update yesterday, but I didn't get a chance to go on the computer. So, I'll post 2 chappies today! Haha! Now, this chappie is very important to me because it's the reason this fic exists! You see, about 2 years ago I had a dream of, well, this chappie (or, rather, the end of it) and so I decided to write a fic about it, this is that fic! In other words, if I hadn't had that dream, this chappie wouldn't exist, and so neither would this fic! You may all think: 'What? Was that it?' When you read this chappie, but this has deep personal meaning for me, so just bear with the fic! Okay? Now, enough of me, onto the chappie! Enjoy! (Then leave a review!)**

* * *

**Chappie 21**

* * *

After a quick shower, Rhea got dressed, grabbed her beyblade and launcher, and headed out into the back yard. She loaded Kraken into its launcher and took aim, when she realised someone was in her line-of-fire. "Morning, Kai." She smiled. "You're up early." 

"I could say the same about you." Kai said.

"Yeah, I… err, wanted to get an early start." She said, gesturing towards Kraken. "Care for a quick spin before the others wake up?" She asked.

"Why not?"

"3… 2… 1… Let it rip!" They both counted down.

The blue and white beyblades attacked each other quickly, but both lacked the aggression that had been present in most of their previous beybattles, it was only training after all.

"Hey Kai?" Rhea suddenly spoke.

"Mmm?"

"Do you think you could finish our conversation?" She asked.

"What?" Kai asked, slightly confused.

"Remember you were gonna tell me about… your past…?"

"You still wanna know?"

"If you're willing to tell me."

Kai thought for a moment or so before replying. "… I trust you completely… so I'll tell you." He agreed. "But it'll have to wait until later; we have training to do today."

* * *

Time seemed to fly from that point onwards, and it seemed only seconds into their battle that the others showed up. Kenny immediately ordered a 4 against 1 beybattle, not in favour of Tyson. 

"This will sharpen your reflexes, and prepare you for speed-based battles." The Chief explained to counter Tyson's moaning.

"Come on, Tyson! You're 2-time World Champion, remember? This should be easy!" Hilary called out to him from the side-lines.

"I don't see you doing any better, Hilary!" Tyson snapped at the girl, while simultaneously trying to evade Kai's vicious attacks. "Come on, Dragoon!" Tyson encouraged.

His blade span away to the right, only to be slammed into by Draciel.

"Hehe, you're not getting away so easily, World Champ!" The blonde blader teased. Driger and Kraken shot towards Dragoon immediately.

"Let's see what you've got, Tyson!" Rhea joined in the taunting.

"Dragoon!" Tyson shouted, summoning his dragon bit-beast. Tyson's blade veered off to the side, leaving Driger and Kraken to slam into Max's beyblade.

"Oh, too slow, guys!" Tyson laughed.

"You want speed? I'll give you speed!" Ray smirked, his pupils contracting into slits as he focused on the match. "Driger, Gatling Claw!" He commanded, as his blade sped up and his White Tiger bit-beast emerged.

"Evolution Storm!" Tyson countered. The white and the silver/grey beyblades shot towards each other, and collided with an almighty crash. Both blades were thrown back from the force of the collision, but neither lost its spin.

"Great work, guys!" Kenny called out. "Your attack powers keep rising! They'll be off the charts soon!"

Kai, Max and Rhea called out their own bit-beasts respectively, and went on the offensive. "Gravity Control!" Max ordered. Wave upon wave of water hurtled towards Dragoon at a frightening speed, and had soon surrounded the white beyblade. As the water began to 'close-in' on Dragoon, Rhea stepped up. "Heaven's Cataract!" She yelled, freezing Tyson's beyblade inside a 'watery tomb' instantly.

"Oh no!" Tyson gasped.

"Finish it, Dranzer!" Kai roared. "Blazing Gig!"

In a flash of blinding red light, and to the sound of ice shattering, the match was over.

"Well done, guys!" Kenny called out.

"Well done? I lost!" Tyson panted, wiping his brow.

"I know that, but you lasted a lot longer than I had hoped."

"Gee, thanks." Tyson muttered in a sarcastic tone.

"No, no, really!" The Chief continued. "Your stamina has almost doubled! Take a look!" He held up his laptop, showing several screens of data and complicated looking graphs.

"Really?" Tyson asked. "I'll have to take your word on that." Tyson was too tired to try and comprehend Kenny's data, not that he had much luck when he was refreshed anyway.

"Right, now Ray, you're next…" Kenny ordered.

* * *

And so the day dragged on, massive 4 against 1 battles that lasted ages, and drained all energy were the main order of the day. However, according to Kenny, it was all worth it. Their attacks had increased tenfold, and so had their stamina reserves. Come reunion, they'd blow 'em all away! (As Tyson put it.) 

Close to sunset, Kenny finally allowed the team to have a proper rest, much to everyone's delight.

"Man, I thought we'd never stop battling!" Max sighed, laying flat on his back on the wooden path.

"Well I'm glad we got lots of work done today." Kenny said,entering the last pieces of data into his laptop. "It means we can take it easy now."

"That's a relief!" Tyson laughed.

"You can say that again." Ray agreed.

"That's a-"

"He didn't mean it literally!" Hilary cut Tyson off.

"Oh…" Tyson sighed, as the whole team sweatdropped.

Tyson's grandpa stepped out into the back at that point, kendo stick-less. "Hey dudes and dudettes!" He greeted. "Why are ya all layin' about? You should be practicin'!"

"We're not lying around!" Tyson yelled. "We've been blading all day!"

His grandpa burst out laughing. "I know that, little dude! I'm just yanking your chain!"

"Well… yeah… I knew that!" Tyson stammered.

"Hehehe… anyway, is Rhea about?" Grandpa asked.

"Rhea?" Hilary asked.

"Yeah, Mr. D's on the phone. He wants to talk to her." The old man explained.

"Rhea?" Max asked, looking around. "Guys? Where is she?"

"Err…" They all looked around.

"And Kai?" Kenny said, also noting that the team captain was missing…

* * *

Kai and Rhea had walked along the beach where they had spoken before. The sun was just disappearing behind the horizon, and the beach was as empty as it had been before. Kai led them to the other end of the beach, it went furthest out to sea, and the cliff towered above a good 250ft or so. Sitting on one of the large ledges at the base of the cliff, just above the sand, and ever-so-slightly secluded because of the various small trees and foliage, **(hard to describe, think Kingdom Hearts Destiny Islands)** Kai explained in great depth about his time at Balkov Abbey, or, as much of it he could remember clearly. 

Rhea listened silently fascinated and horrified at the same time. "… and after that, Voltaire took me out." Kai finished. "I'm sure a lot more happened, but I guess I just…"

"Blocked it out?" She finished his sentence.

"Yeah."

"I can't blame you…" Rhea said. "After what you went through…" Yawning, she leant her head back against the trunk of a tree. "I can't believe it."

"Kenny's training sessions are nothing compared to Boris's methods." Kai joked.

"I'll bet." She smiled. _He's gone through all that…_

"But I managed." Kai added. "No need to worry about me."

_I can't put him through any more… he's been through hell and back…_

"You okay, Rhea?" Kai asked.

"Yeah, Chief's training just took it out of me a little…" She smiled. _But I have to. I already owe Tala our father's life; I don't want to owe anything else to anyone else._

_/Flashback/_

…_I think you need a little _motivation_… two gunshots… failure is not an option… tomorrow… two gunshots... failure is not an option… failure is not an option… how do I know…won't lose sight of your… failure is not… not an… option… objective… tomorrow…two gunshots... darkness... failure... _

_/End Flashback/_

Waking up quickly, Rhea glanced around. It was dark. _Did I fall asleep?_ Slowly catching her breath lost because of her 'nightmare,' she looked to her right. Kai was still sitting there, apparently dozing. _I fell asleep on his shoulder! _Shaking away the last traces of sleep from her head, she stood up.

"I have to…"

* * *

Crimson eyes snapped open a little before dawn. Looking to his left, Kai didn't expect to see Rhea; he had felt her presence leave just after he had dozed off. He felt better for telling her about the abbey. At least now she knew, and, hopefully, she would opt to tell him about the rest of her problems regarding Boris and his abbey. 

Through force of habit, Kai put his hand into his pocket, but instead of his fingers closing around the cold metal of his Dranzer Blade, they held a folded scrap of paper. Shocked, he sat up quickly, and withdrew his hand from his pocket, the paper clasped in it. Eyes widening with every word handwritten on the piece, Kai outurned his pockets in hope it was a mistake… but Dranzer was gone. And so was Rhea.

* * *

**Alright, that chappie done! Sorry if it was a bit weird/random, but that's me! I'll be posting the next one today, defo. So, if you would take the time to review both chappies, I'll be even more appreciative than usual! Hehe! I'm on 93 reviews at present! Very very nearly the big 100! Yay! Now for replies:**

* * *

HeartlessDevil: **Hehe, it won't be a direct death, but he'll suffer a bit! Hehe! Keep reviewing!**

brezzybrez: **Thanks for reviewing, 2 chappies up today!**

Kyogue: **Thanks for reviewing, and thanks for the compliment, I'm glad you like it! Here's the update, 'nother one up today…**

SweetMystery: **Thanks for reviewing, as usual, yup, now or never… hehe… 2 updates today, just for my reviewers!**

Storms-winter: **Thanks for reviewing!** **Yes, all those questions… hopefully it will become interesting… very… **

darkphoenix07: **Another new reviewer? Yay! Thanks for reviewing! You shall find out…. Very soon! Hehe…**

Clare: **Thanks for reviewing; I'm glad you like it! Hehe, no-one expected that little twist! Hehe, update comin' up…**

CrimsonSkye06: **Oh yes, she does, for a higher purpose… did I just say that? Well, ahem, yes, she is in a bit of a fix, eh? Keep reviewing, you'll find out what happens soon!**

* * *

**Okay, reviews dealt with, man, they get longer and longer! Sorry that chappie was a bit short, but I'm doing 2 updates today, so cut me some slack! (cough) Anywhoo, keep reviewing, and you'll have the next update soon! Till then!**

* * *


	23. The Note

**Heart of Darkness**

**Yes, here I am again! Mwahahahahaaa! (cough)… okay, I have problems. Big deal. Who doesn't these days? Anywhoo, here is the update as promised, I think it's kinda long, which makes up for the previous 2 shortish chappies… Enjoy! (Then leave me a review, please! I'm so close to 100…)**

* * *

**Chappie 22**

* * *

Crimson eyes snapped open a little before dawn. The sun was just rising, causing his surroundings in an unearthly golden light. Kai closed his eyes again, enjoying the quiet and stillness of the morning for a while. Looking to his left, Kai didn't expect to see Rhea; he had felt her presence leave just after he had dozed off. He felt better for telling her about the abbey. At least now she knew, and hopefully, she would opt to tell him about the rest of her problems regarding Boris and his abbey.

Through force of habit, Kai put his hand into his pocket, but his fingers did not close around the cold metal of his Dranzer Blade. He'd felt Dranzer there so many times, it was a while before he was aware something was wrong. "Hey, where…?" He muttered to himself. Then it hit him. Dranzer was gone. Shocked, he sat up quickly, and stuck his hand deeper into his pocket, in case his blade had slipped to the bottom, but all he found was a few spare buttons, a bit of paper and fluff. No Dranzer. No beyblade… and no Rhea.

At a complete loss, Kai sprinted back into town, heading for the dojo. As he raced through the streets, his mind raced as well.

* * *

As Kai approached the dojo, he could make out the forms of the rest of the team, well, minus Tyson. Knowing him, he'd probably still be inside stuffing his face, or still asleep. _I guess… it's good to have them to turn to… I've never needed them before, but now I just might…_

Rounding through the entrance to the dojo, Kai shot around the corner and into the back yard, where the team had gathered for Kenny's 'early morning briefing.'

"Kai! There you are!" Ray greeted, before he took in the distressed look on Kai's face.

"Where were you?" Max asked, oblivious. "And… where's Rhea?" He continued.

"Good question. I was looking for Dranzer as well." Kai snarled.

"Kai? What's wrong?" The neko-jin asked, a look of seriousness on his face. **(I'm sorry, is that even a word?) **

Kai simply stared for a while, before he realised how difficult it was going to be trying to tell them. Deciding he might need a place to sit, Kai walked inside the dojo. Thankfully, they followed without question.

"Alright, Kai, what's going on?" Hilary asked once they were inside. Tyson chose that exact moment to walk into the living room where the rest of the team was gathered.

"Great breakfast!" The cap-clad blader yawned. "Ah! I see you've returned, Kai!" He smiled, seeing Kai. "But where's Rhea? Wasn't she with you?" He asked.

Glancing around the room, he realised the team was subdued.

"Somebody die?" Tyson joked. "What's up? Come on, you guys, tell me!"

"Dranzer's been stolen." Kai said. "I don't want to believe it… but it all points to her." He explained. "I just… can't believe Rhea would take Dranzer…" Kai trailed off into an awkward silence.

"But… Rhea isn't some rookie blader after a top-notch blade. Why would she take Dranzer?" Ray voiced his thoughts.

"Rhea… Rhea… got to me. I'll admit that. And it was because of that I let my guard down. Because of… my emotions… because of my stupidity… Dranzer… is gone…" Kai choked. It looked like he was on the verge of tears, but when none fell, the team believed it to be a trick of the morning light.

"Kai, did Rhea leave anything? Anything at all to show she took Dranzer?" Kenny asked.

Kai shook his head. "There was nothing." He replied.

"Where did you last see Dranzer?" Ray asked.

"My blade was in my pocket, as usual."

"Have you-" Kenny began.

"YES! I've looked! I've looked everywhere! Rhea took Dranzer. End of story." Kai yelled.

"Just empty 'em." Kenny persisted.

"But he just told you there's nothing in there." Max said.

"Please, Kai… I just want to double-check." Kenny continued.

"Alright." The slate-haired team muttered, emptying his pockets of fluff, buttons and the bit of paper.

"Hey, what's this?" Kenny asked, reaching out to the paper and smoothing it down. The Chief skimmed over the words written.

"I don't… remember that…" Kai began.

"Kai… I think… I think you should read this…" Kenny said, handing the note back. His hand was shaking.

The gang exchanged confused looks before Kai stepped forward and took the note. As he read it, his expression changed from curiosity, to surprise, to fear… then finally, anger. He put the note on the top of the sofa he was standing next to, and stood there, shell-shocked.

Hilary picked it up and read it. "Well? What does it say?" Max asked, reading it next. After the note had been handed round half a dozen times, Tyson finally got his own look in:

_Kai,_

_I'm sorry. What more can I say? I have to go. I've truly enjoyed the time I had on the team. I'll never forget it. I'm sorry for not telling you sooner, but my time is up. Boris wants me back now. I'm sorry for everything. Thanks for understanding. Goodbye._

_Love, Rhea. Xx _

"So she was working for Boris. I knew there was something wrong with her… she was… unnaturally close to Kai…" Tyson snarled.

"No way!" Max gasped. "She wouldn't!"

"Well she did." Kai said, looking at the floor.

"But… why?" Ray asked.

"No, she's not… working, she…" Kai muttered, thinking how best to phrase her 'relationship' with Tala.

"She 'what,' Kai?" Tyson snarled.

"She is Tala's sister." Kai said.

"No way." The entire team gasped. (Minus Hilary, who'd never actually met Tala.)

"Yes. That's her link to Boris, though I didn't know how strong it was until this morning."

"Wait a minute, let me get this straight," Kenny stepped forward. "Rhea, who is Tala's sister, stole Dranzer and took off this morning back to Boris in Russia?"

"That about sums it up." Kai muttered sarcastically. "But I just don't get it." He continued. "Rhea had plenty of opportunity to take my blade… take away any of our blades… why did she wait 3 months, and why did she take mine?"

"She's working for Boris, dude." Ray explained.

"No. She's not. Boris is the lowest kind of scum. Rhea was forced to take Dranzer. I'm certain of that. I know she didn't choose to take Dranzer. She's way too strong-willed and independent to do that. Boris put her up to it. He killed her parents. She had no choice. It's not her fault. Boris is the reason for all this." Kai finished.

"So… just what are you suggesting, Kai?" Hilary asked.

"We go to Russia, and get both Rhea and Dranzer back." He said, as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"You can't be serious, Kai!" Tyson said.

"Oh I'm deadly serious." Kai glared.

"We have to wait, and prepare!" He argued.

"Tyson!" Kai snapped.

"Look, I'm all for getting' your blade back, but 6 plane tickets to Russia aren't just gonna walk in through the front door-"

"Boys!" The voice of Mr. Dickenson stopped their argument, as the old man rushed in; they could see he was holding 6 brown, rectangular envelopes.

"Mr. Dickenson?" They gasped.

"Oh, good, you're here." The chairman panted, catching his breath. "Tyson, your grandfather was outside, he let me in…" He quickly explained. "We have a crisis on our hands, team."

"So have we…" Hilary muttered.

"It's Rhea; she's gone, hasn't she?" Mr. Dickenson asked.

"Yeah, how'd you know?" Kenny asked.

"Do you remember last night I tried to get hold of her?" The chairman asked.

"Yeah?" Max nodded.

"Well to cut a long story short, kids, when I first saw Rhea, I thought I recognized her, so I decided to search all BBA records in order to find a file on her, but the only thing I could find was her name on the Demolition Boy's databanks. Under Tala's name, 'Rhea' was listed as his sister." The chairman hurriedly explained. "So, naturally, I called here to see if I could speak with her." He continued. "Then, this morning, I was made aware of an unscheduled flight to Russia, by one of our BBA planes. I instantly put two and two together, and realised she had left. Boris is up to something. I'm sending you, Bladebreakers, to Moscow to put a stop to Boris's plans. I'd go myself, but getting out of my job impossible, and I'm sure you can handle it." He finished.

Allowing a minute or two for all of this information to sink in, Hilary was the first to 'snap-out-of-it.' "We'll do it!" She agreed. Her outburst caught the attention of everyone else standing there.

"So, Tyson, now we have those tickets." Kai smirked.

"You can count me in!" Tyson nodded.

"Me too." Max agreed.

"And me." Ray added.

"Definitely." Kenny nodded.

"You're not leaving me behind!" Hilary piped up.

"Well done, kids, I've a car waiting to take you to the airport." Mr. Dickenson nodded approvingly. "Time is of the essence." He led them outside, where they walked past Tyson's grandpa.

"Grandpa, we have to-" Tyson began, but stopped when his grandfather held up his hand.

"I know, little dude." He said. "Go save Rhea." He nodded, beaming with pride.

"Don't worry about a thing, grandpa; we'll be back before you know it!" Tyson gave him the thumbs up, and ran into the car after the others.

* * *

It was a short journey to the airport, and was taken in silence, each member of the team had various thoughts flooding through their minds, and conversation wasn't high on anyone's priority list.

Within 20 minutes, the car pulled up outside the entrance to the airport. The team stepped out of the car, Mr. Dickenson close behind. "I'm sorry you had no time to pack anything, but this is not a vacation. You are to get there, get Rhea and get back, alright? I don't want any of you putting yourselves in danger unnecessarily, okay?" The old man said.

"Don't worry, sir, we're used to danger!" Tyson smirked, puffing himself up.

"Kenny, I want you to email me as soon as you have any information, alright?" Mr. Dickenson turned to the Chief.

"Okay." Kenny nodded.

"Good. Well, I have to leave you all here, I'm afraid. The airport staff has already been notified of your arrival, you should be on that plane shortly. Good luck."

"We'll be fine, Mr. D! See you later!" Tyson waved as the team entered he airport.

* * *

**(Okay, just wanna let you know that I have no idea how long a flight from Japan to Russia would be, but for this story's sake, lets call it about 5 hours, eh?)**

* * *

The Bladebreakers team had one of the BBA's private jets taking them to Russia. The eerie silence of the ultra-modern plane was doing nothing to quell their nerves. It had seemed so simple when they were in Tyson's dojo, their feet flat on terra firma, but now… they were hours away from Boris… Boris and his creepy abbey… the task of helping Rhea, and claiming Dranzer back did not seem quite so easy.

"We are currently 30 minutes away from our destination." The pilot's voice sounded over the intercom.

"Almost time…" Kai muttered to himself. Most of the others had managed to grab a few minutes of uneasy sleep, but the intercom announcement woke them all right up.

"You guys ready to go kick Boris's butt?" Tyson attempted a feeble joke. Hilary's nervous laughter was the only reply. She had never met Boris, but had heard countless stories about him, and now everyone's fear was setting her on edge. _30 minutes to go, only 30 minutes…_ she counted down in her head.

_20 minutes left…_

_10 minutes left…_

_5 minutes to go…_

_We're here! We're landing! … Russia…_

The team exited the plane and looked around. They had landed on an old airway strip off the main airport. The pilot exited with the team, and handed them thick coats for the cold. They all had 'BBA' written on the back. "Mr. Dickenson tells me when to leave." He said. "So when you tell him you're done, he tells me. Got it?"

The Bladebreakers nodded, and then left the airport. After a few minutes of checking maps, they managed to stumble onto the main street.

* * *

"It feels like forever ago we were here last." Max said.

"I know, weird, huh? Last time we were here, we were rookies." Tyson agreed. "So, err, Kai, we heading for the abbey?"

Kai's silence answered the question.

"Thought so." Tyson nodded.

"Tyson, what exactly…. is-" Hilary asked the navy-haired teen.

"The abbey is the training grounds Boris owns." Tyson explained to her. "It's where we'll find Rhea, Boris and Dranzer." He finished.

"Oh, I see. How far is it?" She asked. Tyson shrugged and looked at Kai, who was quite a way in front.

"A few minutes." He called back, causing a small chuckle in Hilary, and relieved the tension of the group.

All too soon, however, they were in the courtyard of the familiar Russian building. Normally filled with young bladers doing drills, the courtyard was empty save for snow. Hilary shivered slightly, despite her coat. "Are we going in?" She asked.

Kai stood very still, staring at the double doors with such hatred in his eyes. _Hatred for what he did to me. Hatred for what he did to her… did to Rhea…_

"Yo, Kai? Anyone in there?" Tyson waved his hands in front of the captain, who blinked quickly. "Let's go in." He nodded.

"Kai?" Tyson called to him, making the slate-haired teen stop in his tracks.

"We're all with you." Tyson said. The rest of the team nodded.

"Thanks." Kai managed a small smile before leading the team to the entrance of the building. Forcing open the unlocked doors **(surprise, surprise)** the Bladebreakers stepped out of the cold and into the darkness of the abbey…

* * *

**As you all can tell, I've reposted this chappie, I apologize for any inconveniences! Hehehe, as for all your replies, check out the final chappie after the epilogue….**

* * *


	24. Experiment

**Heart of Darkness**

**Yes, reposted chappies again from here all the way to the end. Sorry if it confuses any of y'all out there, but it kinda makes more sense this way. So, enjoy, and review, please! Muchas Gracias!**

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**Chappie 24**

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The feeble sunlight filtered around the Bladebreakers as they walked inside, Kai leading. The doors were closed behind them by two 'guards.' They were in a circular stone room, with a high balcony directly in front, with a metal staircase either side leading up to it. Underneath the balcony, there was a door which led deeper into the abbey, and at the top was another doorway. Standing on the doorway were 5 figures, one of which was a lot taller than the other 4. Boris.

"Boris!" Kai spat the name out.

"Welcome, Kai, welcome Bladebreakers!" Boris extended his arms out in greeting. "It's good to see you all again. I hope you are well?"

"Don't give me that!" Kai snarled. "Where is-"

"Dranzer? Here." The purple-haired man laughed as he reached into his coat and drew out the familiar blue beyblade. "Perfectly safe and in working condition." Boris smiled.

"That belongs to Kai. Give it back right now!" Max shouted at him.

"Boys, if I was going to give Dranzer back that easily, I would have posted it." Boris sneered.

"Give Dranzer back or else-" Tyson began.

"Or you'll what?" Boris sneered, snapping his fingers. Tala and Ian appeared out of the shadows on Boris's right, while Spencer and Ian appeared on his left. All 4 Demolition Boys had their gun-launchers aimed at the Bladebreakers.

"You're in no position to be giving threats, Tyson." Boris smirked.

Boris then threw Dranzer back to Kai. "That was merely to bring you here so we could talk, Kai." Boris said.

"Guess you're not one to use a phone, you purple-headed freak." Kai spat.

"In my position, no." Boris shook his head, his voice calm. "Now you have your beyblade back, we're even. I'll let you walk out of here unscathed, with your blade. If that happens… something unpleasant might happen to your dear Rhea for failing her mission… to bring you here." Boris sniggered.

"Where is Rhea?" Kai called out. Tala dropped his gaze a fraction, but kept his aim steady.

Boris muttered to himself, as 2 guards appeared from the doorway, dragging Rhea along with them.

"Here she is, Bladebreakers." Boris pointed to her. "Of course, she completed her mission a lot later than I would have liked. She will, of course be punished for that. And… she told you information I wanted to be withheld, punishment for that, too. She had to change mission strategies halfway through… dear oh dear, Rhea, not very good anymore, are you? And… oh dear, you lost quite a few beybattles…" Boris muttered, as if checking off a shopping list. Much to the anger and amazement of the Bladebreakers.

"No! What are you doing here? You shouldn't have come!" She called out, ignoring Boris's mutters.

"We aren't gonna leave a team mate with this freak!" Tyson smiled.

"But, Kai, you know what he's like, you shouldn't have come!"

"He had Dranzer." Kai said. "And you." He added.

Normally, Rhea probably would have blushed at the comment, but this was a different situation. "You have Dranzer, now, please go!" She begged. "Leave me be, go while you can."

"We're not leaving till we have Rhea back." Ray stepped up.

"And there's nothing you can do to stop us!" Max agreed.

"Oh, but there are so many ways to stop you!" Boris laughed. Even though he hadn't ordered an attack, the team held their ground.

"So, Boris." Kai said, grabbing everyone's attention. "If I stay here… Rhea goes free, along with the team. Or we leave, but she stays here." He asked.

"Yes. Those are the only options. No negotiations. No bargains. One or the other."

Kai lowered his head, thinking his choices over. He didn't like either one. When Kai looked up, his stare was cold and emotionless. "If I stay… Rhea and the rest of the Bladebreakers can go. You'll not harm them or stop them?" Boris laughed at him, it was the closest to a 'yes,' Kai was going to get, so he took it as such.

"Kai! Don't! Go while you can!" Rhea screamed. She was silenced by a blow to the back of the neck by Boris.

"I told you to be silent." He hissed. She held her tongue.

"That did it for Kai. I'm yours. I'll come willingly, and do as you say. As long as you let Rhea go." Kai said.

"What? No Kai!" Kenny said. "Don't give yourself up; there's gotta be another way we can save Rhea."

"There isn't. I know it. You know it… and _he_ knows it." He glared at Boris.

"Well, well, well, young Kai. I don't want to lose Rhea, she's such a good spy… but you are just as useful to me…" He sniggered. "Alright. Rhea leaves, and you come willingly." Boris nodded. At his word, the guards released their grip on Rhea, who bolted down the stairs.

"Kai! No! You mustn't!" She cried out, running over to him. Kai simply closed his eyes and gave her the cold shoulder, while walking towards the stairs, leaving her standing there, tears streaming silently down her face. "No…"

"You are free to go, Rhea, but no doubt I'll have you back soon." Boris laughed, as Kai ascended the stairs, walked past Bryan and Spencer, and stopped at Boris's side.

"You weren't supposed to come for me!" Rhea called out. "You were supposed to forget about me, so _he_ wouldn't get you again!" She begged, eyes welling up with a mixture of guilt and anger.

"Demolition Boys, take Kai to Chamber 66." Boris ordered the bladers on the balcony. "Yes sir." They said simultaneously. With Tala and Ian leading, they escorted Kai through the doorway and out of sight.

"No, sir! Don't do that to him!" Rhea called out to Boris. "Please!" She begged.

The purple-haired man looked at Rhea and the rest of the Bladebreakers as if he had only just noticed they were there. "You are trespassing. I suggest you leave at once." He said, before turning and exiting the room through the doorway after the Demolition Boys and Kai. The remaining guards in the room shooed the teens out of the room and back outside, into the snow. They didn't say a word as they pushed the grumbling teens outside, almost like robots. Cold. Indifferent.

* * *

/Outside Chamber 66. /

* * *

"Alright boys, well done. Now you may take your leave." Boris said. "Except Tala and Kai, of course." Boris said. Unlocking the door, and gesturing for Kai and Tala to enter.

Kai gasped as he looked around. A large white room. Pure white. Sterilised, like a hospital ward. It had a high ceiling, and a large beydish was at one end of the room, furthest from the door. There was a table that looked scarily like an operating table, with various open restraints, and various tanks around the 'head' of the table. On smaller side-tables were a variety of needles and syringes, as well as bandages. And there, in the corner of the room, set on its own pedestal was the Black Dranzer.

"What's going on, Boris?" Kai snapped. "What are you gonna do?" He yelled, looking around fearfully.

"Never you mind, Kai…" Boris smiled, as Kai blacked out.

Tala had been standing next to Kai, and had injected a strong anaesthetic **(oh man, I hope that's the right word…) **into him. It was quick working and painless. Kai hadn't even felt the prick of the needle.

"Excellent, he should be out for a good hour or so." Boris smiled, as Tala placed Kai's unconscious form on the table and tied the restraints round his arms and legs. "But we don't even need half that time. Hehehe…"

"Sir, why are you doing this? Doesn't it seem…. too cruel? Too harsh?" Tala asked.

"Tala, Tala, Tala…" Boris laughed. "We created Black Dranzer. We control its power. By merging its power with Kai, we will control him…" Boris continued to laugh.

"But sir! It's never even been tested!" Tala argued.

"Do not question me, Tala." Boris snarled. "Or would _you_ rather be the guinea pig?"

"No sir." Tala replied.

"Good. We wouldn't want to accidentally upset Boris, now, would we? Like your sister did, hmmm? Remember what happened then? I wouldn't want the misfortune of telling the others what happened to your poor mother…" Boris left the sentence there.

"I…I'm sorry, sir." Tala apologised through gritted teeth.

"Tala, you know my plan is to create the ultimate bey-warrior. Voltaire's plan may have failed, but I've yet to execute mine." Boris sniggered. "If it doesn't work… back to the old drawing-board!" He laughed manically.

Tala drew back a few steps, the first few flecks of fear evident in his ice-blue eyes.

"Now, no more stalling. Release Black Dranzer." Boris ordered.

Tala walked over to where Black Dranzer was, and loaded it into his gun-launcher, Wolborg safely in his pocket. Tala headed towards the dish, took aim, and shot **(quite literally!) **the beyblade into it.

"Black Dranzer!" He shouted, causing the phoenix to emerge from its glowing bit-chip.

"Good, so far, Tala." Boris applauded, as he approached the dish holding a large syringe. "Now, keep the beast held there…"

"Yes, sir…" Tala tried to hold Black Dranzer hovering where it was, by using all his strength of willpower.

Boris reached out with the syringe to where the creature's leg was, and placed the needle into it. Black Dranzer cried out in pain, but it could not move because of Tala. Soon, the syringe slowly began to fill with a red-black substance. Once it was full, Boris nodded to Tala, who returned Black Dranzer to its beyblade, then caught the blade itself.

As Tala placed Black Dranzer back on the pedestal, Boris was already by Kai's side. "Now the fun begins…" He laughed.

Tala looked on with a mixture of fear and curiosity. Quickly, Boris chose a spot on Kai's upper arm and stuck the needle straight into the skin, not even thinking about veins…

He pressed down on the plunger, and Black Dranzer's 'blood,' was injected into Kai, who immediately started twitching, and the skin immediately flared bright red.

After about 20 seconds or so, all of it had gone into Kai, and Boris withdrew the needle, and Kai remained still. The mark where it had entered Kai's flesh had turned a deep red, but other than that, nothing else could be seen.

"Now, Tala, take Kai to-"

"The medical ward, right." Tala cut him off.

"No, not the medical ward. Take him to one of the dungeon cells."

Tala stared at Boris, unable to believe it. "But sir… he… he needs to be watched over while he recovers, and-"

"Tala, we do not know what he will be like when he wakes. He needs to be contained." Boris said.

"But he might die!" Tala yelled.

"Yes, I suppose he might." Boris nodded, while scratching his chin. "Now, take him."

"Sir!" Tala tried once more, only to be backhanded by Boris.

"If you question my authority ever again, Tala, you will regret it. Now take him." Boris hissed.

"…yes sir. Sorry sir. It won't happen again." Tala bowed his head, partly in submission, and partly to hide the red mark on his face. He then wheeled Kai (the table had wheels) out of the room.

"That's a little better." Boris smirked.

* * *

/Dungeons/

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Tala took Kai to the deepest cell in the abbey; he didn't want to risk a punishment. Opening the door, he put Kai inside, heaved him off the table, and placed him on the floor. Then, he shackled Kai's wrists to the wall with the chains already placed there. "I'm sorry Kai." Tala said. "Thank you for helping my sister escape that madman… and I'm sorry for what he's done." He whispered, more to himself, before taking the table out of the cell, locking the iron bar door, and returning back into the abbey.

Several hours later, Kai flitted into consciousness. There were no windows this deep into the abbey, so he had no idea what time it was or how long he'd been out. All he could feel was the stinging in his arm. Kai could barely lift his head, but he saw his whole arm was glowing very faintly… he blacked out again…

Kai stirred halfway through the night, again, his arm burning where he had been infused with Black Dranzer's sacred spirit. His body ached, and glowed faintly red, but added to the pain was a severe headache. A wave of fire burned through his being, consumed him, clawing at his flesh….. He cried out. He cried out in sheer agony, this was torture… but it was not his own voice Kai heard. His cry ran through the night before unconsciousness consumed him. The cry of a dark phoenix.

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**Phew! It killed me to write that, though. I hate seeing Kai suffer. (sniff) Anyway, I've not many reviewers to reply to, since this was a 2-update day kinda thing, but still:**

Storms-winter: **Well, the answer to both your questions should now have been answered! Keep reviewing! Thanks!**

HeartlessDevil: **Hehe, coz I can! Thanks for reviewing, please continue!**

Kyogue: **Oh yes! Haha! I hope you liked the chappie, keep reviewing! Thanks!**

**Well, that's it for this chappie (at long last!) Keep reviewing! Thank you! **


	25. Darkness Descends

**Heart of Darkness**

**O.O 109 reviews…. 109 REVIEWS! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!**

**YAYNESS!**

**Yeah. I'm a very happy bunny right now! Okay, now that that outburst is outta the way, I'm changing the format slightly for these final few chappies. Replies to reviews will be at the beginning, now! (Don't ask me why) Here they are:**

brezzybrez: **Thanks for reviewing! Here's the update!**

Soullesswinds: **Thanks for reviewing! You're also my 100th reviewer! Yay! (hands over '100th reviewer badge') He'll recover…… ahem….**

Crimson Eyes: **Ooh! Another new reviewer? Yay! I'm glad you like it! Here's the update for ya!**

SN: **I'm glad you liked it, thanks for reviewing, here's the next chappie!**

darkphoenix07: **Hehe, thanks for reviewing, yeah, I'm evil, I know. I love Kai just as much as anyone, but …… blame Boris! It wasn't me! ….. ahem…..**

Storms-winter: **Yeah, it is kinda twisted/freaky/…. interesting… ahem…**

HeartlessDevil: **Thanks for reviewing, yeah, I didn't wanna hurt Kai…. But yeah, Rhea to the rescue… is it that obvious?**

i love athrun: **Mmmm…. Thanks for reviewing, here's the chappie…**

CrimsonSkye06: **Thanks for reviewing; I'm glad you liked it so much. Well, Tala kinda owes Kai coz Kai freed his sister… Anywhoo, here's the update!**

Kyogue: **Perhaps…. Hehe, yup, we all know Boris is a deluded madman. Tala and the others will get their revenge… very soon….**

**Phew! Well, that's the replies! Now onwards with the update! Enjoy! Then leave a review! **

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**Chappie 23**

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Night had fallen over Russia, and the Bladebreakers team were short one captain. After being thrown out by Boris's guards, they had scrambled to the edge of a small wood which overlooked the abbey's main courtyard. It was on top of a steep hill, and gave them a good view of the building's exterior walls. Because of the cover of the overhanging tree branches, the grass beneath their feet was devoid of snow. They had spent the remainder of the day hiding there, trying to work out a plan; so far, though, they had had no luck. 

"Alright, Rhea, hadn't you tell us exactly what you know?" Tyson spoke to the dark-haired girl as the darkness descended upon them.

Rhea sighed and thought for a moment before answering. "How much has Kai told you about me?" She asked.

"That you're Tala's sister, and that you took Dranzer." Ray said. His voice was calm and thoughtful, without bias, unlike Tyson, who was seemingly blowing his top.

"Okay…" Rhea sighed, wrapping her arms around herself as she sat beneath a tree. "I am Tala's sister, yes. His half-sister to be precise. We have….. We _had_ the same father. But Boris killed him, along with… my mother." Rhea explained.

"Rhea..." Hilary comforted.

"It's alright." Rhea stopped her. "You can't expect anything less from Boris. You see, I never trained in the abbey; I lived with my mother near to it. I already knew Tala trained there, along with the rest of the Demolition Boys. Although he was never allowed off the premises without permission, he always managed to sneak out right under Boris's nose. We would often train together; he taught me practically everything I know about beyblading." She smiled. "When the World Championships came along, I was in the stands, watching all the battles. After my brother's defeat to you in the finals, Tyson, Boris came up with another plan for World Conquest. It involved the Black Dranzer. Do you remember it?"

"Yeah, it was the blade that sucked in everyone's bit beasts!" Max nodded.

"That's right. When Kai gave up Black Dranzer, Boris took control of it again. After months and months of remodelling it, making it stronger, and avoiding the authorities sent after him by Mr. Dickenson, Boris was ready to begin. That was 3 months ago." Rhea explained.

"But you joined _us_ about 3 months ago!" Tyson said.

"Yes. Boris sent me… to join the Bladebreakers… because he wanted Kai." Rhea confessed.

"What? Then, what about your 'no family' story, and you 'travelling from place to place?'" Hilary asked.

"All lies Boris told me to say." Rhea's voice had gone very quiet.

"Why, Rhea? Why did you do it?" Tyson asked.

"Boris took my mother and father hostage. He said I had to go, or he'd kill them."

"But... but why?" Tyson asked, trying to fathom Boris's actions.

"Why would he kill them? Because that's the kind of sick, twisted person that he is. Imagine if someone took _your_ grandfather, and held him at gunpoint, Tyson. Told you to carry out a task, or he would be killed." Rhea explained. It seemed harsh to the team, but it was the truth.

"Death by shooting it relatively tame for Boris… some of the other methods he uses…" Rhea trailed off, leaving a trail of gruesome images in the team's minds.

"That's horrible…" Kenny muttered.

"But what does Boris want with Kai?" Hilary asked. "Why did he want him?"

"To be perfectly honest with you, when I set out on this task, I had no idea. I just thought Boris wanted him to be a member of the Demolition Boys." Rhea said.

"He joined Boris once before, when he had Black Dranzer. Kai's not just going to sign up again." Tyson laughed.

"Well… Boris figured he… he would…" Rhea had gone quiet again.

"How?" Tyson asked, genuinely confused.

"Because of me… because I was under Boris's control." Rhea whispered. "Boris wanted me to… to join the Bladebreakers, get close to Kai… and lure him back here. Then Kai would trade, he would put himself back in the abbey so I could go free."

"That's too low." Tyson snarled.

"It's the promise Boris made to my mother." Rhea said. "He promised her Kai would turn himself over, and then he'd let us both go. But, of course, that is no longer the case…" She added.

"Then why'd you continue? If it was over?" Ray asked gently.

"Boris could quite easily kill anyone else, Tala's mother, any of the new 'students,' if any of them were to be killed, it would be my head resting on it. It would be my fault. I couldn't risk that, so I had to carry out my objective." She finished, leaving the team in silence.

"Alright, alright, fine." Tyson said after a long pause. "So Boris put you up to it, fine. I can understand that."

_I doubt that you do, Tyson._ Rhea thought to herself.

"But when we arrived in the abbey, you were saying to Boris 'don't do that to him,' namely, Kai." Tyson said.

"Yes. I did say that." Rhea's voice dropped, if possible, even lower. "When I returned to the abbey with Dranzer… Boris explained to me what he was… going to do to… Kai…"

"What?" The whole team asked her.

"He said something about… using Kai in an experiment with… the Black Dranzer." Rhea said.

"What… sort of experiment?" Hilary asked slowly.

"I… I'm not exactly sure, I was tired from the journey and I was only listening with half-an-ear, and-"

"What is Boris gonna do to Kai?" Tyson yelled.

"He's going to fuse… Black Dranzer's sacred spirit with Kai…"

"No way!" Tyson yelled.

"He can't!" Ray snarled.

"It's just not right!" Max gasped. Hilary and Kenny were too shocked to speak.

"But… but… that's impossible…" Kenny said. "Fusing a human with a sacred spirit… its just….its just… impossible!" He stuttered.

"Well Boris has found a way." Rhea shrugged.

"But, how does he have a clue what'll happen?" Kenny went on. "I mean, it's not something you can do a computer simulation of!"

"You mean… Kai could be hurt?" Tyson asked.

"Well it's untested data. Anything could happen; Kai might even lose his life!" Kenny said.

"No!" The team gasped, more dumbfounded than ever.

"I don't believe it." Tyson said. "Boris is an evil person, but he wouldn't do that."

"You go on thinking that, Tyson." Rhea said coldly.

"Well, don't think I'm just gonna sit around here and freeze all night." Tyson said, standing up and dusting himself off.

"Don't even think about going down there!" Hilary snapped, but it had a pleading tone in her voice.

"I'm not gonna do nothing while Boris does who knows what to Kai!" Tyson argued.

"Tyson, I wanna help Kai too, but we need a plan, first." Ray said, apparently the only one on the team thinking clearly.

While the team argued, Rhea was the only one who noticed the approach of a lone figure. "Who's there?" She yelled, standing up.

The team instantly stopped bickering, and looked at the stranger.

"You guys really should be quiet, otherwise Boris'll find you." He said.

* * *

"Tala?" They all gasped. 

"Sssshhhh… you make as much noise as it is." Tala smirked, stepping under the trees.

"What are you doing here, Tala?" Rhea asked.

"I've come to help." Tala said. "I thought you might need it."

"Thanks Tala! You're a real pal!" Tyson slapped him on the back.

"Sure… I'm really returning a favour. Kai helped you out," he glanced at Rhea, "so now I'll help him out."

"Tala, I'm sorry…" Rhea began. "I messed up big time; you shouldn't have had to suffer the loss-"

"Its okay, Rhea. I know about it. I know what he put you through…" Tala nodded. "But we can discuss that later. Right now, our priority is Kai." The red-head turned to the team.

"I think this might help." Tala handed over a mini-disc to Kenny, who put it into his laptop. After a moment or two of loading, a series of maps and computer code appeared on the screen. The whole team huddled round, trying to look.

"Wow! It's a map of the entire abbey! Surface level and underground!" Kenny gasped, scrolling through various pop-ups and windows. "And it's the codes of every system!" He gasped. "Door keys through to supercomputers, I've got access to every system!"

"Woah, neat!" Tyson smiled.

"I thought you might find some use for it." Tala nodded.

"But these are all high-security files, Tala, how'd you get hold of them?" The Chief turned to the Russian blader.

"That's for me to know and you to forget about." He said. "What matters is you have it now."

"So what's the plan guys?" Max asked.

Kenny thought for a minute or two before he spoke. "Here's what we're gonna do. From here, I can shut down all the main security systems, which means you guys can get in undetected. With a system like this, though…" He clicked on a few more windows, "I might have to turn off other systems like cutting off power to things like the lights, but that'll only add to our advantage." He explained. "That should give you a little while to locate Kai and bring him back." The Chief finished.

"I know where Kai is being held, leave that to me." Tala said.

"Alright, you guys should split up; it'll be too conspicuous if all of you follow Tala." Kenny went on. "So, Max, you and Hilary distract the guards on the eastern way, Ray, you and Rhea take west, while Tala takes Tyson to Kai. Everyone clear?" He asked.

"No, Chief," Rhea voiced. "I'm going with Tala to get Kai. It's my fault he's in there; I have to go after him."

"I agree." Tyson nodded. "And I think Hilary would do better to stay here with you, Chief."

"Hey! What do you mean by that?" Hilary snapped.

"Nothing, it's just… it'd be safer here… and…" Tyson muttered, beginning to turn red.

"I think he's right, Hil." Rhea stepped up, smirking slightly. "If we run into any trouble, we can defend ourselves." She explained quickly.

"Oh all right." Hilary sighed, sitting back down next to Kenny.

"So, Tyson, Max and Ray, you'll be on your own, while Tala takes Rhea to Kai. Everyone meets back here. Don't fight back unless you really need to, keep moving. Lose the guards. Confuse them, right?" Kenny 'briefed.'

"Piece of cake!" Tyson gave Hilary and Kenny a thumbs up before following the others down the hill.

"There they go…" Hilary sighed.

* * *

Getting into the abbey proved relatively easy since there were no infra-red wires or motion sensors to think about. Tala knew the abbey perfectly, and quickly pointed out the main pathways to the exits, so they would know how to get out. They walked together quickly, before they came to some 'cross-roads.' Tyson and Max went one way, only to split up once they reached a T-junction, Ray turned down the left passage, while Tala led Rhea deeper into the abbey. 

Just as Kenny had forewarned, the lights were continually flickering on and off, until eventually, they were plunged into the dark maze of Balkov Abbey. Tala and Rhea were lucky, there was hardly ever anyone this deep into the abbey, so their 'journey' continued pretty much uninterrupted.

Tyson, on the other hand, wasn't having quite as much luck. Unwittingly he had turned down the path that led to the student's dorms, and was now being chased by several of them. Left… right… right… through the door… Tyson stumbled blindly down corridor after corridor, the sounds of the chasers echoing on the walls all around him…

Max was faring slightly better. Upon coming across no-one for a good 20 minutes, he decided to call them towards him. If he could get the guards to follow him, there'd be that many less after Rhea, Tala and Kai. Standing on a high balcony, and looking over, he saw a group of scientists taking notes from various machines. Picking up a loose stone from the wall, he threw it over, causing them to look up. Immediately, several scientists and guards were on his trail, and Max was off again, sprinting for all he was worth.

Ray had, however, had much more luck. Using his heightened eyesight and hearing, he'd redefined the game 'cat and mouse.' Luring his pursuers down dead ends, double-backing on himself and confusing them with twists and turns, he was rather enjoying himself…

* * *

After heading deep into the abbey for a full 30 minutes, Tala finally slowed his pace down. They were fortunate enough not to have met any guard on their way down, which Tala found slightly worrying. "You have to be quick, Rhea… I'm sure they're aware of intruders, and I'm sure they'll be here to check on Kai's status very soon." Tala said to his sister. "I'll keep watch here, and let you know if anyone comes. Here's the key to his cell." He handed it to her. "Be quick. I'll see you soon." Embracing her in a short hug, Rhea dashed off into the murky depths where Kai resided.

* * *

Allowing her eyes to adjust to the darkness, Rhea walked carefully and slowly past empty cells. The floor beneath her feet was crumbled, and many loose stones had fallen from the surrounding walls. Walking to the very last cell, she looked in and gasped in a mixture of relief and shock. "Kai!" She whispered.

Unlocking the iron bar door as quietly as she could using Tala's key, she stepped inside. "Kai…" No moonlight filtered into the cell, it was far too deep underground, but at least it wasn't as cold as it was on the surface. However, there was light enough drifting down the passageway for Rhea to get a good look at Kai.

He was slumped against the wall, his arms held above his head in tight chains, fresh blood dripping down his arms from a wound in his left. There was dried blood on his forehead, too, and a trickle down his chin. His eyes were dark, and he had bad cuts and bruises. His hair was ruffled and he looked like he'd been attacked by a wild animal… but he was alive.

Rhea's eyes glittered, but there were no fresh tears. She stared, completely shocked by his appearance, before rushing over to his side. Kneeling down next to him, she unlocked his wrists from the chains using the key, and caught him as he fell forward into her arms, still unconscious. "Kai… I'm so sorry… forgive me, Kai… oh, Kai… what has he done to you…?" She whispered, fresh tears falling down her face, only to be lost in the darkness… the cold darkness…

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**And that's that! Haha! What did you think? Please review! I have no idea what my next target is, since I've already SMASHED 100! Hehehehehhe…. I'm on 109 at present; let's say 115 reviews, so, yeah! Come on! Until next update!**


	26. Rescue

**Heart of Darkness**

**Yay! I keep getting so many reviews! Yayness!**

**Thanks everyone for stickin' by this fic for so long! I appreciate it! Just keep reviewing for the final few Chappies, please, coz I've got this horrible feeling it's gonna get a bit corny…. So if it is, I APOLOGISE. If it isn't… well, then… it… isn't…. anyway, on with the replies:**

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SweetMystery: **Hehe, it's alright! Don't worry about it; the main thing is you caught up and… (cough)… left me reviews! Hehe…. Anyway, yeah, it was kinda painful, although I'm all for dark, twisted stories, I think that'll be the 'darkest' it actually gets with this fic. I might write a darker fic in the future, though. Thanks for reviewing!**

HeartlessDevil: **No way! That's like… breaking the laws of the Universe! I can kill many people in my fics, but Kai is DEFINITELY not one of 'em… he's too cute! Hehehe… he's just…. takin' a breather, so to speak…**

brezzybrez: **Thanks, as usual, for reviewing, I'm glad you like it so much! Next Chappie on the way!**

Storms-winter: **Uh-huh, I'm tryin' to do one update everyday, so, there is always 'somethin' in the pipe-lines,' …. I have no idea where that phrase came from. o.O**

Kyogue: **All shall be revealed in this chappie! Mwahahahahaaa (cough) (cough)…. (hack)….. I should stop laughing… but yeah, you shall find out... very soon! Haha!**

CrimsonSkye06: **Here ya go! Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chappie 24**

* * *

Rhea sat there, holding Kai, tears streaming down her face, tears of sadness, of guilt, of hatred. Mixed feelings. She held Kai for a long while, time seemingly at a standstill, but he hadn't moved. Hadn't even twitched. He was just…. unconscious…

"I'm so sorry, Kai…" Rhea kept whispering, although she was certain he couldn't hear her voice. Hugging Kai tightly, she suddenly realised something was wrong… not with Kai, but with her surroundings. Something was out of place…

Looking around fearfully, she finally realised it was no longer dark. The lights were on, power, seemingly, had been restored. _But why? Kenny had shut everything off, hadn't he? _She thought to herself. Getting up, she rested Kai against the wall gently, and ran out of the cell. "Tala? Tala? Are you there? What's going on?" She called out. Her replies were the echoes of her own voice, bouncing around the walls. "Tala?" She called out once more. Her echo reached her ears once more.

_Oh great, now what am I supposed to do?_ _Being down here, in the deepest part of the abbey, guards all around… _She snarled at herself. _Where's Tala gone? And why are the lights back on? … Hold on! If the lights are on, then… _"The security must be back as well!" She gasped out loud.

Rushing back to Kai's cell, she saw he hadn't moved a muscle. Any chance of him being able to walk out had gone right out the window. Rhea stood in the doorway, unsure of what to do. The sound of running feet heading her way added to the echoes all around her, and she stood stock still, like a deer in the headlights.

_What to do? If I stay here, they're bound to catch me… if I run… who knows what they're gonna do to Kai…_ Thinking quickly, she looked from Kai to the passageway, which seemed to be getting smaller and smaller with every footstep she heard.

Glancing back at Kai, she walked a little way down the passage, towards the oncoming shadows produced by the newly restored lights. "I can't leave you. I won't leave you." She said outloud, taking out Kraken and her launcher. She fed the rip cord through, aimed it at the passage, and waited for them to come round the corner. _Where did Tala go? Why didn't he warn me? _She kept thinking to herself.

As she waited, seconds slowly turned to minutes. The footsteps could still be heard, they were still approaching… but… another noise was mingled in with them… a high whirring sort of noise… _a beyblade?_ Followed by the roar of a bit-beast, one Rhea recognized. "Draciel!" She gasped, lowering her launcher. "Max! Max, you there?" Running down the passageway, she rounded the corner, in time to see Max pick up his blade.

"Rhea! Found you!" Max smiled.

"Max, what's going on? Where's Tala? Why is the power restored, wh-"

"I have no idea." Max shrugged. "All of a sudden the lights switched on, and by pure chance I came down here. Tala was talking to a couple of guards, and then ran off with them in that direction." He pointed with his thumb over his shoulder. "So as I was coming down, these two guys jumped me, once I set Draciel on 'em they went running off!" He added with a laugh. Noticing she had been crying, Max spoke again. "Did you find Kai?"

"Yeah…" She nodded.

"Is he alright?" Max asked.

"I think so, but I'm gonna need your help to get him out, he's unconscious." Rhea turned and ran back down the passage to Kai's cell, Max in tow.

"Man, oh man!" Max gasped, "Kai!" Rhea walked forward, and he followed her example, and looped one of Kai's arms over his shoulder, while Rhea looped the other over hers. "Come on Kai, come on…" She whispered.

Kai's crimson eyes flickered open. "KAI! You're awake!" Rhea smiled. Kai glanced around, before slipping back out of consciousness. "Kai, stay with us…" Max urged, as he and Rhea half-dragged, half-carried their captain out of the cell and up the passage.

* * *

They walked as quickly as they could, all too aware of hidden cameras within the walls. Boris was bound to know about this by now, what with all power restored. Neither Max nor Rhea said a word while they walked, both unsure what to say in the first place. After what seemed like a life-time, the sound of more feet approaching caught their attention once more. "Busted…" Rhea snarled, trying to look behind them. Her snarl instantly turned to a grin when she saw it was Ray.

"Ray! You found us!" Rhea smiled, hardly believing their luck.

"Is he alright?" Ray asked, getting straight to the point.

"He's unconscious, that's all." Max informed him.

"Alright, lemme help you." Ray stepped forward, and took Rhea's place. Rhea was about to argue that she was doing fine, but common sense kicked in. Ray was stronger than she was, and so they'd be able to move faster. "I'll lead the way." Rhea said, rushing forward, while Max and Ray did their best to keep up.

"Have you seen Tyson?" Rhea called back to the two boys.

"No." Max shook his head. "Not since we first entered."

"I think I might have heard him…" Ray smiled, in an attempt to lighten the atmosphere. A slight giggle escaped Rhea's mouth.

"We're turning onto one of the main passages, now." Rhea said, as they turned left. "There should be a turning a little further up it which leads to one of the exits." She explained. Ray and Max simply nodded as they continued. As they were walking, Kai continuously flickered in and out of consciousness, never saying a word. It worried them all, but no one voice their thoughts. Several times, they heard voices and footsteps behind them, but no guards made an appearance…

* * *

Eventually, the sweet scent of the night filled their noses, as they approached double doors. Rhea opened them to clear a path, and soon they were out in the cold Russian moonlight.

"We made it!" Max smiled.

"Ain't over yet, dude…" Ray whispered, as they began to struggle up the steep hill.

"Kenny! Kenny! Look! It's them!" The voice of Hilary sounded out, much to everyone's immense relief. The brunette ran down the hill and helped them all up. "We were so worried about you guys! You'd been down there for almost an hour!" She exclaimed, as the 4 set down on the grass, panting.

"You alright?" Hilary asked.

"Yeah, Hil… bit tired… lots of running…" Max said.

After a few minutes, Ray sat up and looked around. "Where's Tyson?" He asked.

"Not back yet." Kenny said.

"We thought he might've been here…" Max said, trailing off.

"Well, he's not." Kenny said.

"And Tala?" Rhea asked.

"Haven't seen him." Hilary said.

"Both Tyson and Tala…" Rhea thought, standing up and looking over the abbey.

Hilary caught the look in her eye. "Don't even think about going back in there, Rhea!" She said.

"Kai's out, so he's now safe. Tala, I'm sure can take care of himself, but what if Tyson's been caught?" Rhea said, not taking her gaze away from the building. "I'm going back to look for him."

"Hey! Rhea! Don't! Come back!" They all called out, but she had already run down the hill.

"Rhea!" Hilary cried. "What is she thinking?"

* * *

Rhea entered the courtyard quickly, and approached the doors. Inhaling slowly, she calmed herself. "Here we go again…" As she reached out to open the door, they flew open in her face, making her jump back quickly.

A flash of red, yellow and blue rushed past her, before she even had time to register it. "T…Tyson?" She called out.

"Woah! Rhea! Man, am I glad to see you!" Tyson stopped running and faced her. "It's a nut house in there!" Tyson said.

"Are you hurt?" Rhea asked, stepping over to him.

"Me, I'm fine, takes more than a couple of Russian rookies to get the best of me!" Tyson puffed himself up. "What about Kai?" He asked.

"Yeah, he's… he's on the hill." She nodded at the rise in the distance.

"Is he… alright?" Tyson asked.

"Come and see for yourself."

* * *

"Tyson!" Ray called out, being the first to notice the cap-clad blader.

"You're alright! Oh, I was so worried!" Hilary ran up to Tyson and embraced him in a hug. Suddenly realising all eyes were on her, she broke off quickly, blushing. "_We_ were worried, yes… we were…" She ended the sentence there, and looked at the ground.

"It's alright! I'm fine! See!" Tyson smiled.

"Oh, good!" Hilary smiled, before turning away and walking back to Kenny.

The Chief was typing furiously onto his laptop. "Chief, what happened in there?" Tyson asked, blunt as ever.

"I should have known…" Kenny was mumbling to himself. "It's top-notch security…" He said out loud to the team. "There must have been a counter-program on the system, it unleashed a virus on my laptop, and overrode me." He explained. "That's why all systems were restored. I no longer had control."

"So that's why the lights came back on…" Max said.

"What about the security cameras?" Rhea asked. "If they were restored, Boris can see the direction we left in!"

"No, no, they're not back on yet. Boris calibrated the system so his super-computers get higher priority than lower systems like cameras." Kenny said.

"And in plain English that means…?" Tyson asked.

"He doesn't know which way we went. He doesn't know where we are, which means we should be safe, for the most part, anyway. And he also doesn't know Kai is gone."

"Kai!" Tyson remembered, and looked past Kenny. The captain was lying underneath the trees, with several coats covering him from the worst of the cold. Rhea was sat by him like a protective mother.

Tyson walked slowly over to them, and glanced down. "I can't believe he's been reduced to this…" Tyson said.

Rhea remained silent.

"He's gonna get better, right?" He pressed. Rhea still, said nothing. Her face unchanging, emotionless…

Tyson turned back to Kenny. "He's in pretty bad shape, you'd better send that email to Mr. Dickenson, so he can take us outta this place."

"I can't, Tyson, I already told you." Kenny said.

"Huh? No you didn't!" Tyson argued.

"Yes I did. There's a virus on my laptop, it's shutting down! I can't email anyone until I get the anti-virus on." The Chief said, continuing to type.

"Well… how long is it gonna take?" Tyson asked.

"Its one of the most complicated viruses I've ever seen. It could take me all night." The Chief said.

"You mean we're stuck in Russia?" Tyson moaned.

"For the time being." Kenny nodded.

"Well… why don't we just… leave this hilltop and go book in at a hotel, or something?" Tyson said.

"Got any money?" Kenny asked.

"Well... I … err… might have some change…" Tyson dug into his pockets.

"It was a rhetorical question, Tyson!" Kenny snapped.

"A re-what?"

"Rhetorical. You don't answer it." Hilary filled him in.

"Oh… but… didn't Mr. D always pay for our hotel rooms in the past?" Tyson asked.

"And how do we contact Mr. Dickenson to tell him that?" Kenny asked.

"Huh! Easy! You send him an e-" Tyson slumped against a tree.

"You just crack that virus, Kenny. Don't worry about anything else." Hilary encouraged.

* * *

As the night wore on, the members of the team managed to get a little shut-eye, all except Kenny, who was working non-stop, and Rhea, who wouldn't leave Kai's side.

She had long stopped crying, she simply sat there, watching him, hoping that he would be alright. Kai lay there, shivering and twitching, his brow focused as though he was in a particularly intense beybattle.

"You okay?" Tyson's voice asked her.

"Yeah. Fine." Rhea nodded.

Tyson sat next to her, and looked at Kai, who was shivering.

"He's been like that for a while, now." She said.

"It's not doing you much good. You should sleep. You'll feel better in the morning." Tyson said.

"I'm fine, really…" Rhea shook her head.

"Kai is not so easily broken. I don't know what Boris was thinking, but I'm sure whatever it is, Kai can fight it, and Kai will win." Tyson said.

Rhea looked at Tyson, amazed at how highly he spoke of Kai. "Yeah… he'll win…" She whispered. "He'll win…"

* * *

**Alright, I think I'll end it there. I was gonna write a bit more, but I feel like I'm losing the thread of this chappie a bit… better to end it there than drag it on, me thinks. It was a bit on the short side, I'm sorry.**

**Anyway, I'm getting reviews almost non-stop! Yay! Please do keep reviewing! Not long to go now! Muchas Gracias!**


	27. Buh Bye Balkov

**Heart of Darkness**

**Hello again! Three more chappies to go after this! Anyway, here are the replies:**

SweetMystery: **Thanks, I'm glad you liked it. I realised he was being a little snappy towards her, so I tried to bring out his caring side. Hehehe, here's the update, enjoy!**

brezzybrez: **Thanks for reviewing, here's the next 4, yes, count 'em, 4 chappies! Enjoy!**

Storms-winter: **Hehehe, it's good to be hypa! No need to apologize! Thanks for the support, it means a lot. Here's the update, enjoy!**

SN: **Thanks for reviewing; I'm glad you liked it. Here's the update, enjoy!**

CrimsonSkye06: **Thanks for reviewing, here's the update for you, enjoy!**

darkphoenix07: **It's alright, hope everything's okay for ya. Thanks for reviewing; I'm glad you liked it. All will be revealed…**

**Okay, that's reviews, here we go! (Again, I apologize for any and all cornyness…)**

* * *

**Chappie 25**

* * *

Dawn brought a welcome warmth to the Bladebreaker's 'little huddle.' Kenny was the only one of the team who hadn't rested, he'd been entering code after code after code into his laptop all night, and had been so absorbed in his task, he had barely even registered night coming and going.

Hilary had been the first to fall asleep, with Max nodding off soon after. Ray and Tyson, however, had been too on edge to catch more than 15 minutes at a time, and kept exchanging worried glances, mostly about Boris, and the possibility of him finding the team in their vulnerable state, and also about Rhea.

Although she, too, had managed to drift into an uneasy sleep during the early hours of the morning, she seemed to be consumed with guilt for Kai's condition. After Tyson's continuous encouragement, she had been convinced that he would be alright, but she couldn't forgive herself for allowing him to get into that position in the first place. "I swear if it's the last thing I do… I'll get Boris back for what he's done to us all. Not just Kai and me, but Tala… and the rest of the Demolition Boys. All the new 'students,' how much pain and hurt he's caused…" Rhea had told Tyson.

"Mr. Dickenson will sort it out." Tyson had countered.

"Mr. Dickenson? _He'll_ sort it out? Don't make me laugh." Rhea had scoffed. "He's all very well, but what's he been doing the past year, huh? Board meetings and charity tournaments? He doesn't even know about the experimentation going on, and if he did find out, I doubt he'd believe it went on." She snarled. Upon seeing Tyson's shocked face, she added, "Don't get me wrong, he's a good person, yes. I know he's the team's sponsor, and has helped you guys out a lot before, but face it… against Boris, he doesn't have a clue what to do about him."

"No more than you or I." Tyson said in a small voice.

* * *

As the sun peeped up over the horizon, Kai stirred for the first time since the experiment. Slowly opening his eyes, he glanced around. His vision was obscured by a hazy red light, and he was overcome with the feeling of nausea. Shutting his eyes again, he took several deep breathes, and opened his eyes again. The red 'mist,' was still there. Blinking several times helped clear his eyes, so he propped himself up on his elbows in order to get a better look at his surroundings.

Rhea was sat to his right, leaning against a tree, asleep. A little way in front, Kenny could hear typing on a laptop. _Kenny_. He guessed. Through the edge of the trees, he guessed that Tyson and the others would be there, but he couldn't get a clear view of them.

Shoving the 'coat-blanket' off him, Kai sat up, brushing a hand through his naturally spiked hair. The movement caused Rhea to rouse. "K… Kai? You're awake?" She gasped, hesitating, as though worried he'd pass out again.

"Apparently so." He nodded.

"How are you feeling? Are you alright?" Rhea asked.

"I'm… fine…" He took a deep breath between words. "What happened? How… did… I get here? Where… are… we?" He asked.

"You don't remember?" Rhea asked.

"No…. we were at… the abbey… I followed Boris… and…"

-

"… and…"

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"… I remember…."

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"… the bit-beast… the… Black…"

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"… now for the Test…" Boris's voice echoed in Kai's mind.

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"I… remember…. Black…. Dranzer……."

"Kai? KAI!"

Rhea's screaming woke Kai up again. _I passed out again? _He thought to himself.

"Kai! Speak to me, say something, anything!" Her voice was loud and forceful, riddled with guilt, sorrow and… fear?

Kai opened his eyes again, he was standing up, out of the wood, his whole team was standing around him, staring like he was a ghost.

"What?" He asked, completely confused. He'd been lying down seconds before…

"Dude, what on earth…?" Tyson gasped, mouth hanging open.

"You just suddenly got up and started walking towards the abbey." Hilary explained.

"I did?" Kai asked.

"Yeah, umm… you were mumbling something about 'tests,' and 'Black Dranzer,' we didn't know what had happened…" Hilary continued, as the others seemed too shell-shocked to speak.

Kai turned away from them, and looked in the direction he was facing. His eyes fell upon the abbey. "… Boris…" He hissed.

"What… happened to me?" He looked back at his team. "I only… remember snippets… Boris, Black Dranzer… a test… pain…cold... darkness…." Kai muttered.

* * *

After sitting down again, and once Kenny continued with the final few stages of his virus problem, the others explained to Kai everything they knew about what Boris had done to him in the abbey.

"You are telling me… Boris actually… put Black Dranzer… inside me?" Kai asked, unable to believe it.

"His sacred spirit, yes." Ray confirmed.

"So he hopes to control me like that…" Kai muttered angrily.

"But Kenny said it was all untested." Tyson said. "We all thought that… well, you might… not… wake up…" He finished lamely.

Kai remained silent. _I dreamt of flashes of bit-beast. Every bit-beast the Black Dranzer had ever absorbed… and darkness…. There was a lot of darkness… cold… pain… blood…And now this… waking up to find this… How low will Boris stoop to?_

The team were broken out of their thoughts by Kenny. "Done it!" He yelled.

"You've finished?" Hilary smiled, walking over to the Chief.

"All clean!" He nodded as the brunette approached.

"Alright! Now we can get outta this place!" Tyson punched the air.

"I'm contacting Mr. Dickenson as we speak…" Kenny assured the team.

"Great, we can leave this nightmare behind us!" Tyson smiled. He looked at Kai, who was obviously deep in thought. Perhaps it was just the trick of the morning light, or perhaps it really was a side-effect of the infusion experiment… but his eyes had definitely turned a shade or two darker… Tyson shrugged the feeling off and went up to their captain.

Slapping Kai on the back in a friendly gesture, Tyson spoke. "It's hard to take in, Kai, I know." He said. "I'm sure you're over the worst of it. But we're all here for you. Especially Rhea." Tyson pointed a gloved finger to the dark-haired girl who, along with the rest of the team, was huddled round Kenny's laptop. "She hasn't left your side all night." Tyson continued. "And she went back into the abbey to find you."

"She did?" Kai muttered.

"Yup, the rest of us distracted the guards while she went after you." Tyson nodded.

"Oh." Kai couldn't think of anything else to say.

"Now just hang on, Kai, when we get back we can get you to a hospital." With another pat on the back, Tyson ran over to the Chief.

_A hospital?_ Kai thought to himself. _What's the cure for sacred spirit infusion?_

* * *

When Tyson reached Kenny and the others, he saw they were in deep conversation with the chairman, who was on the laptop's screen, and looking angrier and angrier by the second.

"Hey, how come you're talking to Mr. D face to face?" Tyson asked.

"Hehe, it's a web-cam, silly. Immediate contact, no need to wait for e-mail replies!" Hilary smiled.

"… yes, alright, kids. I'll notify him immediately. Get to the airport, we can discuss it all upon you're arrival." Mr. Dickenson nodded, and his face disappeared from the screen.

"Well that's that. All we have to do now is get to the airport." Kenny said to the others, closing his laptop. "The sooner we get there, the sooner I can get a little shut-eye!" He added with a yawn.

"Well done, Kenny!" Hilary smiled. "We knew you could do it!"

"There's only one more thing I have to solve." The Chief said.

"What's that?" Max asked.

"I have to find out what… the long-term effects will be…"

The team knew he was talking about Kai.

Rhea turned and walked back to Kai. "We're gonna go now." She said. "How are you feeling?"

"… Better. Stronger…." Kai nodded.

"Don't worry, everything will be alright." She said.

As the team turned to leave, a familiar red-head appeared from within the trees.

"Still here, Bladebreakers? You're taking a big risk." He said.

"Hey, Tala!" Rhea ran up to him. "What happened to you?"

"Boris called me. I had to go… hehe, he told me about 'intruders,' hehe." Tala laughed. He turned his gaze on Kai.

"Kai…" He said. Kai remained silent. "I'm sorry… for what Boris did to you." Tala apologized.

"It's alright…" The captain shrugged.

"That's why I'm here." Tala looked at the rest of the team.

"What are you talking about?" Tyson asked.

"Revenge." Tala replied coldly.

"How?" Rhea jumped up.

"Self-destruct." Tala said. Upon receiving blank stares, he continued. "Boris always had a final plan in case he was ever found out. A way to destroy all evidence of his genetic experiments." He said.

"There's a detonator in a small shack in the wood. I am going to set it off."

"Bombs?" Hilary gasped.

"Under the abbey, yes. When they go off, the whole place'll come crashing down." Tala smirked.

"What about all the other bladers there?" Ray snapped.

"Boris sent them all out to search for you. Once the system was up and running again, Boris was furious. I tried to stall him as long as I could in the hope that you would have left Russia by now." Tala said. "Since you're still here, you may well be in a lot of danger."

"But you can't just… just… blow up the abbey…" Tyson said.

"Boris had it all installed himself, it's his own fault." Tala said.

"Yeah, but I'll bet he wasn't planning on being _inside_ the abbey when it collapsed!" Hilary said.

"No. I'll bet he didn't." Tala smirked, the cold glare matching his blue eyes.

"I had no idea about that!" Rhea said.

"I know, he only told a few scientists and top-level bladers. I was one of them." Tala said.

"I wish you had told me sooner, brother. Let's finish this." Rhea stepped forward.

"And me." Kai nodded. "I'm gonna get him back for… for everything…" Kai said.

"Kai, Rhea, you guys can't be serious!" Hilary called out.

"Hilary… you're a good friend…" Rhea said. "But when you've been through hell, and that man is the cause… I'll relish the chance to blow him to kingdom come."

"Rhea…" Hilary said.

"I didn't even get the worst of it." Rhea continued. "Tala and Kai have the right to do this."

"Rhea is right." Kai told the team. "I'm going to… finish this once and for all. You guys can… come if you want. Either way… I'm doing this…" With that, Kai and Rhea followed Tala deeper into the trees.

"We have to follow them." Hilary said, deciding to take charge.

"Yeah." Tyson nodded, and the team broke into a run, following the 3 Russian bladers into the wood.

* * *

Tala was certainly right about one thing. The small shack was just that. A small, wooden shack, about the size of a wardrobe. It was almost completely hidden by the trees and overgrown nettles.

They had slowed down a lot as they approached, partly to allow the remainder of the Bladebreakers to catch up, and partly because Kai was slowing. The red mist was beginning to obscure his vision again, and he felt close to blacking out again…

-

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"Nearly there…" Tala's voice called out faintly from a little way ahead.

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_Just hang on, Kai… nearly there…_Kai said to himself.

Upon arriving at the location, Tala stepped forward, and opened the door.

The 3 walked in cautiously, coils upon coils of wiring littered the floor, and there was a large 'desk' at one end, upon which were several 'metal boxes,' each with a large number of buttons, dials and switches, and a small computer screen and keyboard.

"Oh man, I thought it was just gonna be a case of 'push the big red button." Rhea laughed.

"It still is, pretty much." Tala smirked. "I need to activate a few things, hang on a sec."

"Alright." Rhea nodded. She glanced back at Kai, who was still panting from the run. "How are you holding up?" She asked.

"I'm fine." Kai nodded. "I want to end this." He added with a dark glare, directed at Boris.

At that moment, the rest of the team appeared from the trees, and wasted no time in hurrying over to where Kai, Rhea and Tala were.

"So this is it, huh?" Tyson frowned, looking at the 'building.' "This will end our problems with Boris?"

"Yes." Tala called over his shoulder, as he continued to fiddle with various switches.

"Ready." Tala said at long last, turning back to the others.

"But… wont Boris know that you lot are activating this remote system and override you like he did to me?" Kenny asked.

"No. Boris sent everyone out to look for you lot. He's the only one there, I believe." Tala said.

"You… believe?" Hilary muttered.

"Well there might be one or two scientists…" Tala shrugged.

"You sound just as bad as Boris." Hilary said quietly.

"Now, I'm through waiting." Tala said, as Kai and Rhea both stepped forward. "We'll set off the charges together?"

"Agreed." Kai nodded. _Finally… I'm getting him back…here we go…_

Tala pushed a small black button, which opened a button-flap, revealing the famed 'red button.' "Told you." Tala laughed at Rhea.

"Very funny. On the count of 3…" She said, raising her hand to the button along with Tala and Kai.

"I can't believe this…" Hilary said…

"3…"

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… _Black Dranzer… _

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"…2…"

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_No… I can't black out… now…_

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"…1…"

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"… Now."

* * *

**Okay, I know, I know, that SUCKED. I was seriously debating whether or not to do that, but I so wanted Boris dead. R&R!**


	28. IV Reunion

**Heart of Darkness**

**Here' the next one! I so cannot do 'happy chappies,' very well, so bear with me on this one. PLEASE. Enjoy! (Then leave a review)**

darkphoenix07: **I'm glad you liked it so much, thanks for reviewing. Here is the update! Enjoy!**

SweetMystery: **I'm glad you enjoyed it, thanks for reviewing. Here's the update.**

* * *

**Chappie 26**

* * *

The sounds of explosions in the distance rolled through the air like thunder, as the team ran through the trees, heading for the main town.

Tala had opted to stay behind, and help the other students, and to make sure the 'job was finished,' as he had put it. Apparently he had obtained some of Boris's ruthlessness.

One short, emotional farewell later, the Bladebreakers left the Russian boy, and took off.

Mr. Dickenson had already informed the plane's pilot, Geoff that the team would be arriving soon, and so he was prepared.

Almost immediately after the explosions had gone off, Kai's vision had cleared, and he felt awake and fresh. He was, in fact, leading the team as they ran. It was strange, every fibre in his body felt renewed, strong, as if he could take on the world. His speed had increased, as had his strength, and, no doubt, his skills in beybattle.

"Slow down, Kai!" Tyson called to the captain.

"Sorry, Tyson. Didn't realise I was going so fast…" Kai apologized, slowing his pace down to match theirs.

"Good to see you're back in top form, though." Max said.

"Yeah, we were afraid we were gonna lose you for a while back there." Ray agreed.

"I know… but now… you seem fine." Tyson said.

"I told you, I feel fine." Kai nodded, as the team left the trees and turned onto the main street. Not pausing to slow down, they sprinted full pace to the landing strip where Geoff was waiting for them.

"I was told one of you needed medical attention." He said upon their arrival.

"I'm fine, really." Kai said.

"I cannot take off until I'm sure you are fit to travel." Geoff said. "I'm sorry, kid, but rules are rules."

"Do I look ill?" Kai said, the familiar sneer evident in his voice.

"Well…" Geoff began.

"You saw us. We all sprinted here, yet I'm the only one not out of breath." Kai said. He was right. The others well all panting as they stood there, some with hands on their knees.

"I… see what you mean…" Geoff muttered, obviously not convinced.

"The sooner we get back, the sooner we'll all be alright. We can rest on the flight." Kai said.

"… Alright." Geoff finally gave in. "Everyone get on board." He ordered, much to the whole team's relief.

"Good thinking, Kai." Tyson nodded, entering the plane.

Within a few minutes, the team was seated and secure, and Geoff began to take off.

As the plane gained altitude, the Bladebreakers looked out of the windows on the left-hand-side of the plane. A large amount of thick black smoke was rising steadily from the distance, the last remnants of Balkov Abbey.

* * *

/Tyson's Dojo/

* * *

The whole team had slept pretty much through the entire flight, and upon touching down, but still felt tired, even after a good 5 hours sleep. No sooner had they stepped on the ground, Mr. Dickenson had swamped the team, along with Tyson's grandfather. Kai was asked question after question after question, and after proving he was in perfect health, Mr. Dickenson had finally allowed them to return to the dojo.

The car ride back was just as silent as the car ride there; most of them were still in shock about the demise of Boris, and the end of Balkov Abbey, which the team had already agreed, on the flight back, not to mention.

Tyson couldn't have been more pleased to arrive back home, he would have kissed the floor if Hilary hadn't stopped him with a: "Tyson! That's mud!"

The team stood stock-still when they entered the dojo. "Woah, grandpa, been… err… shopping?" Tyson gasped. In the doorway were large sealed boxes. The pictures on the side told the team what was inside them. They saw 8 speakers, a surround sound system, DVD player, a Do-It-Yourself stage, karaoke machine, disco ball, projector, stereo system, smoke machine, to name a few.

"For this party you guys are gonna have." Grandpa smiled, walking in. "It all arrived this morning, Tyson, surely you didn't forget about it!" The old man laughed. "It's the day after tomorrow, you know!"

"Oh, y… yeah!" Tyson gasped.

"That green-haired blader paid for the whole lot! Richest kid I've ever met!" Grandpa continued to explain.

"Oliver?" The team gasped.

"Yeah, somethin' like that." Grandpa nodded.

"Well, I'd love to stay and chat, grandpa but I'm seriously jet-lagged." Tyson yawned, stretching. "Wake me when it's dinner." And with that, Tyson disappeared into the dojo.

"Little dude's gotta good point. You should all hit the hay." Grandpa said.

The rest of the team nodded, and followed Tyson.

"Bravest bunch of kids…." Grandpa muttered to himself.

When Tyson awoke, sunlight was streaming across his face. Groggily he glanced at his alarm clock. 10:43am.

"Oh, I've only been out an hour or so…" He muttered to himself, as he got out of bed.

Once he was showered and dressed, he walked into the back yard. There was no sign of the team. "Odd..." He muttered.

Walking back into the dojo, he found them in the living room. The boxes from the hallway were stacked in the corner, but other than that the room seemed unchanged.

"Hey guys, what's up?" He asked.

"You're up!" Hilary smiled.

"I wasn't out that long." Tyson shrugged.

"Tyson, we got back from Russia _yesterday_! You've been asleep over 24hours!" She laughed.

"You're kidding!" Tyson said.

"Nope!" She smiled.

"Oh well. Guess I needed a good sleep." He yawned. "So what are you guys doing?" He asked again.

"I think I've figured out… what happened to Kai." Kenny said.

"You have?" Tyson asked, looking around for him. Kai, of course, was nowhere to be seen.

"I've already spoken to Kai. He's training on the beach. I said we'd catch up once you were awake, Tyson." The Chief said.

"Before we go, aren't you gonna tell me what you figured out?" Tyson asked.

"Of course. I was about to tell the others anyway." Kenny laughed. "It's only a theory, but I think it's pretty close to what went on."

"Lay it on me, Chief." Tyson said, sitting down on the couch.

"Now, as we know," Kenny began, "Boris tried to merge Kai with Black Dranzer, by infusing him with its sacred spirit."

Nods of understanding from the team egged him on.

"Boris created Black Dranzer, and so, controlled it. Because Black Dranzer would now be a part of Kai, he would control Kai." He said, repeating Rhea's words. "Now, here's where my thinking comes in.

Kai has a strong will, and a strong spirit. It's why he could control Black Dranzer's awesome power when he first used it back in our first World Championships. It is also why he gave up Black Dranzer. Anyone else would be consumed by its dark powers, but not Kai. He would not allow himself to be completely consumed by Black Dranzer's darkness. He had a strong enough spirit to fight the desire for power… the power of Black Dranzer.

Kai naturally had a strong will, which was strengthened greatly by Biovolt's training years ago. I believe that when we found him in the abbey after the experiments, he was already fighting off the effects of Black Dranzer's infused spirit.

If Black Dranzer had been infused with anyone else, I believe they would have succumbed to its power. Kai was too strong, though… too strong to give in. His strength, I feel, was increased by our whole team… especially his feelings towards Rhea.

However, Kai managed to fight off the effects of Black Dranzer for a while, but when he first came to, and began walking towards the abbey, remember? Black Dranzer was trying to 'take over.' Once the Black Dranzer beyblade was destroyed in the abbey, however, along with the bit chip, its hold over Kai's spirit was destroyed, and Kai began to recover. Kai's physical body was greatly improved, though, because of the power of that sacred spirit. He gained speed and strength from the creature, without being completely taken over. You understand?" He finished.

"That's… deep, Kenny…" Ray whispered.

"But I don't know if these increased reflexes will last, there's no way of knowing." Kenny added.

"But he'll be alright?" Rhea asked.

"Yeah. Should be." Kenny smiled. "Now, we're gonna get one more day of training in before the reunion!" He said, receiving moans from the team.

* * *

Night seemed to arrive and disappear in a heartbeat, as did the setting-up of all the equipment, and a short while after that, night had fallen again, and with it, the bladers. Tyson had literally forced every single one to a battle, which they complied with, laughing at Tyson's determination. Every member of the Bladebreakers won, lost and drew their fair share of battles, and by evening, the blades had long been forgotten.

Music blared from each of the 8 speakers, and Hilary had kept Tyson on the dance floor long enough to keep him away from the snacks. Tyson's grandpa had lit a barbeque in the backyard, and had stocked up with enough food that would satisfy even Tyson.

It was an amazing turnout; there were 32 people there, including the chairman himself and Max's parents, more to keep Grandpa away from his famous keno stick, and therefore well away from forcing the bladers to take lessons from him. The White Tigers, The All Starz, The Majestics, The Saint Shields and Team Psychic were all there. Even the team's old friend, Zeo had come. The Demolition Boys were the only main bladers not present, for obvious reasons. They still had to rebuild there own lives, and could not afford to stop.

When Johnny and Enrique arrived, bringing bottles of goodness-knows-what, they were already, 'ahem,' 'slightly tipsy,' and took it upon themselves to be the 'official DJ's of the evening,' by taking over the triple-deck system. Blasting out tunes at full volume, the rafters shook, and the smoke machine went haywire, filling the entire dojo with the white mist.

No-one cared of course; they were all enjoying themselves too much. Ray had immediately paired up with the pink-haired girl from his old team, and Max had wasted no time re-acquainting himself with the bluenette from the Saint Shields.

_What a way to celebrate the end of Boris…_Kai laughed darkly to himself. Even though he felt better and stronger than he had in a long while, he could still feel Black Dranzer's darkness within him. There was nothing he could do abut it now. The darkness would always be there, in his very soul, in his heart… a lasting reminder of that madman, Boris…

"Hey, Kai! Why are you here all by yourself?" Rhea's voice called to him. A voice he had grown so fond of…

"Come on! The party is inside!" She sat down next to him. Kai was sitting on the edge of the pond in the backyard, staring down at his own reflection in the crisp, cold water.

"I don't think I will." Kai said to her.

"Why?"

"They're not really my thing… too crowded, too many people…" He trailed off.

"Hehehe, the smoke machine fell over, there's mist everywhere! You can't even tell everyone apart! They're all silhouettes!" Rhea laughed. "Johnny and Enrique are pretty good with those tunes, come on! Let's go!" She got up. "One dance, come on!"

Kai looked up at her, and saw the smile playing in her eyes. _She hadn't smiled properly in a long while. A lot of the time before Russia, it had been forced, and after they had returned she had felt so guilty, and had only wanted me to recover…_

"Well, Kai? Come on!" She said, grabbing his good arm.

"Alright." He gave in, all too aware of the smile on his own lips.

* * *

The two entered the dojo to a deafening noise. Clasping their hands over their ears, they walked through the mist to the nearest figure, it happened to be Hilary.

"What's that noise?" Rhea asked.

"Tyson… he had to get up and start singing…." Hilary laughed.

It was true, if you tried to ignore the horribly off key notes, they could just make out Tyson was trying to show them all the 'proper' way to sing 'I will Survive.'

"Lord knows why he picked that." Hilary continued. "I think he's had one sake too many…" She laughed.

A slight click and a whirring noise made the 3 look behind them. Tyson's grandpa was recording his drunken singing on a camcorder, making the group burst out laughing.

Johnny finally managed to shove Tyson off the stage, who retorted with a slurred, "Jealous coz ya can't sing, ya Scottish….." Tyson, apparently, had lost interest in his own sentence. Stumbling slightly, he managed to find his way back to Hilary after picking his way through the crowd

Ray and Mariah were the centre of the dance floor, Max and Mariam nearby.

"Found you!" Tyson smiled, a bottle containing something obviously very strong clasped in his hand, upon reaching Hilary.

"Tyson, you're drunk!" She pushed him away playfully.

"No I am not!" He retorted, swaying slightly on his feet. "I can say the alphabet! A… B… C…'hic' … F … 'eh! Hey! Robert!" Tyson walked off to the captain of the Majestics once he caught sight of him through the mist.

Kai simply shook his head and smirked. Rhea reappeared at his side clutching two bottles. He took one gratefully.

"Down the hatch!" They said together, taking a large swig. All the teams were mingling, old alliances not counting for much as they caught up, ate, sang and danced with everyone else.

Tyson, Johnny, Enrique, Gary, Michael and Dunga decided to have a belching contest at one point, which ended with more than a little gas coming up. Too much food.

* * *

As the night wore on, the mist machine had since been cast aside as unusable, and the dojo, both inside and out, had cleared up within a little while, and at nearly 4 in the morning, Tyson jumped up onto the stage, dragging Hilary up with him, and grabbing Enrique's microphone. "Hey! Hey! Hey!" The blonde had argued, before realising he couldn't be bothered to argue.

"Everyone? Can I have your 'hic' attention, please!" Tyson called out into the microphone. "Johnny, turn that music… down!" Tyson turned to the red-head, who let out a string of curses before agreeing.

"I just wanna say… thanks all for comin, hope you're havin' a good time!" Tyson continued, earning himself a huge cheer from everyone in the room. "And I wanted to, 'hic,' say a…. say a few words…." He paused, trying to gather his breath. "This girl, Hilary…" He began. Hilary realised where this was going, and immediately turned scarlet.

"She's stuck by… our team… since she, 'hic,' first joined…. She's stuck by me… through my eating,"

"Here, here!" A voice from the crowd cheered, it sounded like Max.

"Through…. Our… argues…. Through…. Through our arguments…." Tyson corrected himself, "and I wanted… to tell her… and I wanted… everyone to know… 'hic,' that…" He paused and took in a deep breath. "That, Hilary…" He faced her, "I love ya so much girl!" He smiled, taking her hand. If possible, Hilary blushed even deeper, which, come to think of it, could have been a result of the drink.

"Give 'er a kiss, dude!" Another voice from the audience called out.

"Yeah, go on, Tyson!" Another egged him on.

To as much his own surprise as Hilary's, Tyson obliged. Another huge cheer followed by applause from the crowd, as Johnny once again turned the music back up.

"About time…" Ray laughed, his own arm wrapped loosely around Mariah's waist.

* * *

Not long after that, the bladers finally began to disperse, it was almost sunrise before the last two left, not surprisingly, Johnny and Enrique. None of the Bladebreakers team had managed to find their way to beds; they simply crashed out on the main floor, akin empty bottles, glasses and plates. That was exactly how Grandpa found them, he had fallen asleep not long after Tyson's 'statement.' Laughing loudly, he decided that they had been through enough, and so chose not to wake them.

Between them, Enrique and Johnny had consumed almost twice as much alcohol as everyone else combined. They staggered down the street, singing 'We're Singing In The Rain' incoherently at the top of their lungs before disappearing from sight, but not sound…

* * *

**Like I forewarned you all at the beginning of this chappie, I cannot do fun/funny/happy/entertaining chappies, so I seriously apologize for that. I will almost certainly come back and rework these final few chappies in order to make them much better, I know I need to do this, coz these this chappie and the one before it were AWFUL. Ahem…. Moving on…**


	29. Goodbyes and Farewells

**Heart of Darkness**

**Well, last chappie, here. Sorry if it seems the fic is ending a bit suddenly, but like I said before, I will most definitely come back and give this story a rework, especially these final few chappies. Enjoy.**

* * *

**Chappie 27**

* * *

/ 2 years later /

The Bladebreakers team had come a long way since the 'end of Boris' incident. No one had questioned them about it, apparently if Mr. Dickenson had figured it out, he hadn't tipped off the police, he had wanted the whole case to be hush, hush. No-one could blame him. After everything he went through with the Russian 'mastermind,' it was to be expected that he wanted it all to be kept quiet.

The Bladebreakers beyblading team, however, was another story. Since Kai's recovery, his blading skills had increased a thousand fold, and every tournament the team had participated in since had been won effortlessly. Kai's senses and reflexes had been improved to the point of perfection, nothing could touch him. Even a proper rematch against Tyson, his one true rival, had resulted in an easy win.

So easy, in fact, he decided to pack the game in for good. An action which had been on the whole team's minds for the better part of the previous year. They had surpassed all adversaries as a team, and had heightened their own individual skills to the max. They were in another league compared to any other bladers. They had peaked, they had reached the top of their game, and although it was a great achievement in itself, it came with sadness.

There was nothing left to beyblade for. Every member of the team was equal, with the exception of Kai, and there was no more room for improvement. Their stats were maxed out, so to speak, and so it left them with a difficult choice. Quitting the game that had been a part of their lives. It was the next logical step to take. There would be other beybladers to continue the sport, but their part in it was now over. And with their retirement, came the splitting of the team.

Near sunset, the gang stood on the beach, overlooking the sea. A silence, not an awkward one, had descended upon the team. Watching the waves gently lap the sand was the only sound for a long while. All 7 members of the Bladebreakers team stood there: Tyson, Kenny, Kai, Max, Ray, Hilary and Rhea.

"This… is it." Tyson said, picking up a small pebble from the sand and throwing it out to sea, making it skip several times along the calm water. "It's been so long since we first met guys." He continued. "All those years ago. I was 13. A rookie." He laughed.

"We all were, back then." Max stepped forward, his messy blonde hair spiked as per usual. "Heck, we hardly even knew what bit-beasts were."

"And we all thought we were undefeatable." Ray added.

"Hehe, some of us were." Kai snickered.

"Not forever." Rhea voiced.

"But you guys have come so far from then to now." Kenny said.

"Helped greatly by the occasional crazy scientist!" Hilary laughed.

"Hehehe…" The group laughed quietly.

"We've been through so much together, as a team. I'll be sorry to see us break up." Tyson continued.

"We'll still keep in contact with each other!" Max said.

"Of course!" Hilary nodded.

"Yeah." Ray nodded.

"We have to; I couldn't imagine not seeing all you guys ever again!" Rhea spoke,

"It doesn't do to dwell in the past, though." Kai said.

"Mmm. We move on, but we keep our friends of past." Kenny nodded.

"Well said, Kenny." Hilary nodded.

Tyson took out his Dragoon blade. It had earned him the title of 4-time World Champion, since Kai decided not to compete. If he had, the title would have gone to him, without a doubt.

Tyson turned back around to face the team, and held his blade in the middle of the circle. Ray, Kai, Max and Rhea followed suit by holding their own beyblades in the centre. Hilary and Kenny, who didn't have a blade of their own, simply placed their hands in the centre.

"It's been awesome, you guys." Ray said.

"I've really enjoyed it." Max nodded

"I'm glad I met you all." Rhea winked

"Thanks for everything." Kai spoke.

"Thanks for giving me a chance…" Hilary laughed.

"Yeah, I owe you guys a lot." Kenny said.

"I…" Tyson paused to think. "… You guys already said everything!"

The gang burst out laughing. "We know what you mean, Tyson!" Hilary laughed.

The sky was streaked with red and orange when they finally broke up. "I guess I'll see you… when I see you." Ray said. "I've got a plane to catch, we'll speak again."

"Me too, bye guys, we'll see each other soon!" Max nodded, following Ray.

"See you, guys." Rhea hugged Hilary in a farewell before taking off.

"Pop by for a visit anytime." Tyson said.

"Will do, Tyson." Kai smirked, before leaving hand-in-hand with Rhea.

"Take care of yourselves, alright?" Kenny said.

"And you." Hilary nodded, as the Chief, too, left the shoreline, leaving Tyson and Hilary.

Tyson turned back to Hilary. "Ready to head back?"

"Mmm." She nodded, hugging him tightly, as the two headed back to the dojo, their minds full of happy memories, memories of battles, of people, of places… memories of the Bladebreakers.

* * *

**Okay, nice and short, I suppose. Like I forewarned you, it wasn't very good, I don't think. Like I said before, I will definitely rework these final few chappies, so do not worry; they will improve. R&R, please!**


	30. Epilogue

**Heart of Darkness**

**Well, this is it. Don't ask me why I wrote this, I just thought it might be a niceish way to finish off this fic. Enjoy.**

* * *

**Epilogue**

* * *

It was mid-morning in Bey City, the middle of summer, and you could already tell it was going to be a gorgeous day. The sunlight flooded into the dojo in the centre of town, but, bright as it was, it did nothing to stir the occupant of the master bedroom. With a loud snore, he simply rolled over, and that was that. 

"Still asleep? Some thing's never change." A brunette stood in the doorway to the bedroom, the ring of silver and diamond on her left hand 'ring-finger' proving her marriage to the snoring 'creature' under the sheets. "We're going to be late if we don't get up soon." She clutched the bridge of her nose in thought, when a flash of movement ran past her legs, and entered the bedroom.

"Is daddy still asleep?" The child asked.

"Yes, dear." The brunette sighed.

The little girl's smile fell from her face. "Daddy! We don't wanna be late! Daddy!" She ran round the side of the bed and pushed her head under the covers. "Get up!" She continued to yell.

"Mmmmfff? Wha's goin' on?" Her father muttered sleepily, sitting up. Glancing down, he saw his daughter standing by the side of the bed, looking back up at him with the same garnet eyes his wife had. The little girl had her father's deep, navy blue hair, and mischievous grin. "Come on, dad! Get up!" The 8-year old smiled, before rushing back out of the room.

"Was that your idea, Hil?" He yawned.

"No, Tyson, she ran in here of her own accord." Hilary smiled. "She's the only person who can ever wake you up." She added with a smile.

"Mmmfff…" He mumbled, scratching his head.

"Get ready; we don't want to be late for the opening." Hilary said, disappearing out of the room. Yawning, Tyson flopped his head back on the pillows and pulled the sheets towards him.

* * *

Not longer than 1 hour later, Tyson was up and ready to go. Grabbing his keys from a hook in the kitchen, he poked his head round the door to one of the halls in the dojo. "We're off now, sure you don't wanna come?" He asked. 

"No, I'm fine. Class in 10 minutes." His Grandpa replied. For a man as old as he was, he was in perfect physical condition, mostly due to his martial arts training, something he never slacked on.

"Okay then, Grandpa. See you in a couple of hours." Tyson nodded before exiting the dojo, his family in tow.

* * *

"So, what exactly is this?" Hilary asked, once they were I the car and it was in motion. 

"It's the opening of the new PPB Academy, Kenny's opening it, and we got special invites. A lot of the old gang'll be there." Tyson explained, driving fairly quickly.

Within a good half an hour, they pulled up outside the old BBA offices. They had been converted, and had other buildings added on in order to make it a top research centre. "Looks like they did a pretty good job." Hilary said, looking through the window.

"Yeah, not only have they got all state-of-the-art research equipment and gyms inside, they've got several beystadiums outside." Tyson explained, parking the car. As soon as the car had stopped, the little girl ran outside. "Talia!" Hilary called out to her.

"I'm just gonna battle for a bit!" The girl called back, before disappearing from the car park, and entering the outdoor arena.

* * *

It was already full of other people, most of which she recognized, but there were quite a few researchers and scientists she had never seen before. Slipping past those she didn't know, Talia approached a beystadium. Two other kids were already there, and were in the middle of a huge beybattle. 

Before she could get a good view, the battle ended, with both blades returned to the beyblader. From what she saw, one blade was blue, and the other was grey.

"Unlucky, Darren." The boy who owned the blue blade smirked.

"You didn't win either!" The boy called Darren snapped back. Both boys were older than Talia, they looked about 11.

"I'll challenge you both!" Talia said, loading up her white beyblade into its launcher.

"Talia, isn't it?" Darren asked. His hair was short, black and spiky, and he had bright amber eyes.

"Yup!" Talia smiled, adjusting the baseball cap on her head. It had been a birthday present from a few years ago, and she hardly ever took it off.

"You're not good enough to take us both on." The other boy said.

"Are you scared?" She teased, aiming her launcher at the dish.

"Of course not, I just don't want to embarrass you, that's all." He smirked, loading his own blade. Darren, too, aimed.

"3… 2… 1… Let it rip!" The 3 called out together, and simultaneously launched.

"Dragoon!" Talia called out. The bitchip on her beyblade lit up, as the famed bit beast rose from it.

"Awesome!" Darren gasped, staring at the dragon. "Driger!" He summoned his own bit beast.

The white tiger roared as it leapt out of the grey beyblade, and rushed at Dragoon, claws drawn. Determined not to be left out of the fight, the boy controlling the blue beyblade ordered an attack of his own.

"Dranzer, Blazing Gig!" The phoenix rose at his word, sending burning feathers in all directions. All 3 beyblades slammed into one another, relentlessly, when Tyson and Hilary arrived.

* * *

Tyson's face immediately cracked into a wide smile when he saw the 3 creatures fighting. "She didn't waste any time, huh?" Hilary laughed. 

As they walked towards the dish, Tyson found it difficult to control his urge to command Dragoon himself… but even if he had, it would have been a waste of breath. The family dragon obeyed his daughter now, he was no longer it's master…

He knew the same was of Ray's boy and Kai's son, too. They controlled the phoenix and tiger well. Not as well as their previous masters had, of course, but they were only young. Ray and Mariah's son, Darren, looked exactly like his father, except with shorter hair, and a slightly lighter skin tone. His eyes were identical to his parents, golden-amber, and he had the same sharp fangs and pointed ears which showed him to be a neko-jin.

Rhea and Kai's son, Trey, on the other hand, looked more like halfway between his parents. Trey had his father's same crimson eyes and spiky hairstyle, but instead of being slate-coloured like his father, it was black, like Rhea's. He also had the trademark 'shark fin marks' on either side of his face, the only difference being there were 3 red ones on both sides, instead of 2 blue ones.

* * *

Glancing up, Tyson took note of Max and Mariam sitting on a bench to the side of the 'park.' The last time they had all been back together was for the birth of their daughter, May, 3 years previous. The girl had her mother's piercing green eyes, and her father's blonde hair. Max was planning on giving her Draciel for her 6th birthday, so until then, she was just a spectator. Ray, Kai, Mariah and Rhea had already gathered by them. 

"Hey, Tyson!" Max smiled, looking up from his daughter as his old friend approached.

Tyson glanced at the rest of his old team. Not much had changed about them, really. Sure, they were older, but that was the only real difference. Tyson noticed Kai had a gold wolf ring on his left hand, and noted Rhea had a silver one on hers. _Show off._ Tyson thought. _Not different at all._

Turning his attention back to the blonde ex-blader, Tyson sat down. "Quite a handful at that age, aren't they?" Tyson smiled, looking at the toddler.

"You're telling me." Max laughed. "But I wouldn't trade it for anything." He added fondly.

"They grow up too fast." Mariam told them.

"Tell me about it. I swear it happens overnight." Mariah agreed.

"Yeah, one day you can hold 'em in your arms, then next, they're running rings round you!" Tyson laughed.

"Hehe, I'll bet you spoil her rotten, though!" Rhea smiled.

"Mebbe I do…. Hehehe…." Tyson laughed.

Hilary sat down on Max's other side, and both she and Mariam were soon lost in discussion about the latest soaps and reality programmes. Tyson rolled his eyes when she wasn't looking, earning a laugh from Max. "Seen Kenny yet?" Tyson asked.

"No, I think he's still inside preparing." Max shrugged.

"Hehe, he still worries too much over every little thing." Tyson laughed.

"Old habits die hard." Max said.

"I guess…" Tyson said, watching the battle raging on between the children. "…man… I wish it was me there…." He sighed.

"Hehehe." Max laughed.

At that point, the battle ended, with all 3 blades flying out of the dish.

"Went easy on you!" Trey said, picking up his Dranzer blade.

"Hehehe, sure…" Talia smiled.

"I did!" Trey repeated, pocketing his blade.

* * *

"Will all the guests here for the opening please gather in the main lobby, please!" A ginger-haired woman appeared, clad in her white coat and glasses. 

"Emily?" Tyson muttered.

"Yeah, along with Kenny those two are the head honcho's here." Max explained with a very slight smirk.

"Come on, Tyson." Hilary said, getting up.

"You guys go ahead, I'll catch up." Tyson said, walking over to where Talia was.

"Talia, lemme have a look at Dragoon and the launcher a minute." He asked her.

"Uh… sure dad…" She reached into her pocket and handed him the white beyblade and its launcher.

"Go in with your ma, I'll be there in a sec." He said, twisting the cap on her head to the side.

"Dad!" She snapped jokingly.

"Hehehe, that's my girl." Tyson smiled, as she ran ahead to catch up with Hilary.

* * *

All around, everyone was leaving the 'park' area, and disappearing inside. Tyson gazed down at his old beyblade, and was so lost in thought, he didn't realise there was someone watching him. 

Looking up quickly, Tyson smiled. "Hehehe, I figured it was you, Kai."

"Once more?" Kai asked. "For old times sake?" He held up Dranzer.

"I haven't bladed in years…" Tyson admitted.

"Neither have I. Be good to see if we've still got it. What do you say, 'champ?'" Kai smiled, loading the beyblade into its launcher.

"Hehehe, why not." Tyson nodded.

"3… 2… 1…" They counted down together.

"…let it rip!" Both the white and blue beyblades went head to head.

"Attack, Dragoon!" Tyson called out. _Hmm… wonder if this'll work…_ "Evolution Storm!" He commanded.

Nothing happened; both blades continued battling awkwardly, as if the bladers were amateurs.

"Dranzer!" Kai ordered. The blue beyblade too, continued battling as before.

With one quick hit, Dranzer stopped spinning. Kai nodded, and picked it up.

"Not quite the same, is it?" Tyson said.

"I let you win, champ." Kai smirked.

"Whatever, Kai." Tyson smirked back.

Rhea's head poked back out the door. "Kai? Are you coming?" She called back.

"Be right there!" He said, before turning back to Tyson. "The sacred spirits belong to them, now." He said.

"I know." Tyson shrugged.

"See you inside." Kai placed Dranzer in his pocket, and headed inside.

Tyson held Dragoon in his hand a few minutes longer, gazing at it. "That's true, isn't it?" He said outloud. "Talia is your master, now. Not me… you were a great friend… I hope you are to her… she, along with the others, May, Darren and Trey, they are all the future of beyblading…"

* * *

**And, that is… well, it! My fic is now, officially, completed! (wipes away a tear).**

**I will most certainly rework these last 3 or 4 chappies, add in certain bits, get rid of others, etc. **

**Just a few final notes, I'm sure you won't be interested, but just in case you are:**

**Rhea was going to look more like Tala, I was going to give her those 2 pointy bits of hair as her fringe, but I thought that'd make it far, far too obvious.**

**When the team first met her, I was going to have Rhea fight Kai and split his blade, but after thinking it through, I realised Tyson was going to be better.**

**With this epilogue bit, it was, originally going to be a wedding between Kenny and Emily, but I decided against it. Too much mush, and I probably couldn't pull it off.**

**Rhea was, originally, going to be all horrible and cold to the team, but I figured she'd be too much like Kai, then.**

**I was going to have Rhea's bit beast as Leviathan, but I figures 2 water elemental bit beasts on the team was a no.**

**In one draft of this fic, Rhea (along with Leviathan) was going to actually kill Dragoon, but that was only a rough draft.**

**In another draft, I was going to give her the ability to ride her bit beast (Leviathan, again) and so in one chappie, I was going to have her jump off a cliff, land on her bit beast, and fly around for a while, which, obviously, I decided against**

**I was going to put Dizzi in, but to be perfectly honest, she annoyed me a lot in he show, so I decided against putting her in my fic**

**Also, in another draft, I had Kai die, which, immediately, I destroyed. Kai can't die in my fics! He's too cute!**

**So, enough of that, I just thought you might've been interested. Now, thank you all who have read and reviewed my first fic, those that have been there since the prologue, those who became 'loyal reviewers' halfway through, and those that reviewed in drips and drabs! I appreciate it all! **

**Is one final review asking too much? One final 'sum-up' review? Your favourite parts, your least favourite parts, what was good about the fic, what was bad/rubbish/stupid/weird confusing about it. Ups and downs, you know any other questions, comments suggestions … a final review?**

**Thank you all so very much, I appreciate it big time. Now, until next… (thinks)… until next fic! **

**Buh byeeeeee!**

**icewolf9 **


	31. Final Word

**Heart of Darkness**

**Heylo all once again. Since I seem to type so much, I thought I'd stick in this little extra chappie. Once again, I thank everyone who both read and/or reviewed my story, it means a lot, and I go as far as to say my first fanfic was a success. (Feel free to check out my original work on fictionpress .com, its kinda lacking in the reviews department…. 'ahem…')**

**With regards to writing, as you all know, I've yet to finish Sparkling Eyes, but to be perfectly honest; I probably won't finish it…. (sniff)…**

**However, I'm thinking of writing an 'add-on' to this fic, Heart of Darkness. It isn't quite a sequel, and it isn't quite a prequel either. I'm thinking of calling it either 'Missing Years' or 'Lost Time.' It will take place during those 2 years between the 'Reunion' and 'Goodbyes and Farewells.' I'm planning to further develop each character's relationships with one another, and focus more on the after-effects of Black Dranzer's infusion into Kai. And what happens to him and Rhea, type thing…**

**It's kinda dark in my plans, but, they are only plans. I may or may not continue with that idea. Depends… hehehe…**

**So, one last thing, and I will never again type on this fic… (Wow, kinda scary…o.O) I have 139 reviews. Fudge. **

**How cool is that? And I have all you guys to thank for it! Hehe! I hope my other fics will be as, if not more, popular than this fic, Heart of Darkness was….well, one can always hope.**

**icewolf9**

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